All That Glitters
by TheGuineapig3
Summary: What does a strange gemstone have to do with Xellos, Phibrizzo, and the Lord of Nightmares? A search for a mysterious jewel leads Lina and her friends to the frightening possibility of an old enemy who's come back to destroy the world... LG, AZ, and XF
1. 1: Jewel! The new adventure!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the very first chapter of this fic that I am writing! An unexpected cancelling of school due to inclement weather allowed me to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. Yay! But remember- the purpose of fanfiction is that it is FICTION written by a FAN. Meaning that I own nothing. Right? Right! So, on with the story! :3

(This story contains some references to my previous fic, 'Another Adventure,' as it is meant to be somewhat of a sequel. However, the story should be completely understandable, even if you haven't read the other one, so you don't need to worry if you haven't read it.)

* * *

**1- Jewel! The new adventure!**

"FIREBALL!

…And that's why you don't mess with Lina Inverse."

Lina stood over the area where the bandits' camp had been, surveying the damage, and eyeing the assorted pieces of treasure that had not been reported stolen. She might take a bit of it for herself…

"Nice work, Lina! You really showed those guys!" Gourry enthused.

"Thanks, Gourry." She said back, flashing him an affectionate smile.

Lina gathered the stolen materials that they had been asked to retrieve and filled the remaining space that she had with extras that she would keep for herself. "This is great." She commented as they began on their way back to the city where they were staying. "Just the two of us, fighting bandits… just like old times, huh?"

Gourry nodded. "Yeah, sure is. Although I do kind of miss your apprentice…"

Lina's apprentice, a four-and-a-half-year-old boy named Zara, was staying in Sairaag with his friend Zander for a few weeks, and was apparently learning from the head royal chef, Josiah while he was there.

"Just so long as that chef guy doesn't turn my kid into some artsy freak, I like this. It's kind of like a vacation. He's nice and everything, but that kid gets on my nerves sometimes." She turned to her companion. "Right?"

"I guess so." He responded.

"But now I'm wondering when I'm going to get a vacation from _you_." Lina said, glaring teasingly at her self-proclaimed protector.

Gourry thought it over for a moment. "I guess that would be... never." He laughed.

"Very funny." Lina said sarcastically, but she couldn't help laughing as well.

* * *

Back in the city, Lina and Gourry returned the stolen goods, and then began discussing what they were planning on doing next.

"We still have another week before we're supposed to be back in Sairaag." Lina figured. "I think we should do something interesting before then."

"Like what?" Gourry asked.

"I have no idea. But maybe they'd have some books at the library on a weapon that could replace your old sword, or something like that. We could also go looking for treasure..." Lina's eyes sparkled. "Treasure hunting sounds nice."

"Lead the way." Gourry motioned to his companion.

Lina and Gourry made their way to the library, which held an enormous amount of books.

"S-so many books. It almost hurts to look at them all..." Gourry said, amazed.

"Well, don't hurt your brain. I need you around to help fight bad guys." Lina replied.

"Is that the _only_ reason you need me around?" Gourry asked playfully.

Lina shot him a look that said 'don't ask again or you're going to get a Fireball shot at you in the middle of the library.' "Just go look at the picture books, idiot." She said, already heading for the section on higher level informational books.

"I like books that don't have pictures in them too." Gourry protested. "Well... not really... but..." He turned around to look at another section of books.

Browsing through the shelves, Lina didn't really see anything of interest. Though young, she was an experienced sorceress, and much of the magical information seemed elementary to her. She passed by a desk, where a person had stacked a large amount of books and was reading one. Lina wasn't paying attention to the person at the desk, but as she walked by, one of the books caught her attention.

"An Encyclopaedia of Magical Gemstones and Crystals?" She read. Her eyes sparkled at the mention of treasure."Wow. Hey, excuse me sir, but would it be alright if I looked at this book quickly?" Lina's question was polite, but she was prepared to fight the guy for the book if she had to. Luckily, she didn't.

"Oh, yes. You can go ahead and take that one. I've already read it. It- huh?" The voice answered, suddenly realising something. The young man lowered the book that he was reading to look up at the sorceress in front of him. "Lina?" He asked.

Lina would recognise that stone face anywhere. "Zel?" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

Gourry was astounded by the number of books in the library. He wasn't sure exactly which ones he wanted to look at. He saw a book propped up on a table, it's front covered with pictures of swords and other weapons. He didn't need to read the title to see that it was book about magical weaponry. "Cool..." He breathed, picking up the book. He was surprised to see that there was a small person- er, animal actually- who had been reading the book as well.

"H-hey! I was looking at that!" The small animal called.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't see you there-" Gourry began, but suddenly stopped, looking at the person that he was talking to.

"G-Gourry?" Pokota asked.

"N-no way? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Ta... Tako... Taro..." Gourry stuttered trying to remember the name of the country.

"Taforashia?" Pokota asked.

"Yeah! That's it. What are you doing here?"

"Oh," Pokota flushed, glancing awkwardly back at the table where he had been reading. "...er, just travelling. What about you? What are you doing anyway?"

"What am I doing?" Gourry laughed. "What I'm always doing. Following Lina, of course."

"Of course." Pokota replied. "Well, it's good seeing you again, Gourry."

"You too...uh... uh..." Gourry's voice trailed off as he stared blankly at the small animal whose name he could not remember.

"Gourry? Don't tell me that you can't remember my name."

"No, I've got it. It's... uh... P... Pa... Pi..." He tried to place the name.

"Pokota?" Lina's voice came from behind the two. They turned around.

"No, no. That wasn't it. It was something else..." Gourry replied.

"MY NAME _IS _POKOTA!" The little animal snarled.

"No way. Fancy meeting _you_ in a place like this." Lina said, picking up Pokota by his ears.

"H-hey! Put me down! I'm not your toy!" Pokota squirmed, trying to get out of Lina's grip.

"You two haven't changed at all." Zelgadis commented.

"Why on earth would we?" Lina replied, still holding Pokota.

"Still, I find it incredibly surprising that the four of us were all here in one library without knowing it." Zel said. He turned around to Gourry who was staring at him, a baffled expression on his face.

"You... you're... um..." The swordsman stammered.

Zelgadis sighed. "Honestly? You still can't remember my name?"

"No! I know it! It was... Ze-something..." Gourry replied. "Ze... Zel..."

"Zelgadis." Zelgadis responded.

"Are you sure that was it?" Gourry asked.

"I think that I would know my own name!" Zelgadis shot back.

"You'll have to forgive Gourry." Lina said. "He just gets that way every so often."

"Geez, you think he'd remember the name of a friend that he'd travelled with and helped out so often." Pokota sighed.

"Hey! I never forget Lina's name!" Gourry defended.

"That's because I'm always around to make sure that you don't forget it!" Lina replied, knocking Gourry over the head. "Say, I'm getting hungry. Isn't it nearly lunchtime? Why don't we all get caught up during lunch?"

"You really haven't changed, have you?" Zel repeated.

"Like I said, why on earth would I?"

* * *

Lina and Gourry talked about their travels as they ate in their usual, ravenous manner. Zelgadis simply drank tea, and for once Pokota didn't eat much either. The two were intently listening to Lina and Gourry's story.

"Sound like you guys have had an exciting time since I last saw you." Pokota commented.

"No kidding." Lina replied. "But enough about us- what brings you here, Pokota? I thought that you were helping out Taforashia."

"I WAS!" He replied vehemently, and then seemed to realise that he wasn't being criticised. "Sorry, I just... I'm on a quest right now to do something important."

"What?" Zelgadis asked.

"I want to find a new magical weapon. A powerful one." Pokota replied, looking down at his plate of nearly untouched food.

"A weapon? But I thought you had a Sword of Light replica thing." Gourry asked.

"Well, I _had _one, but there was an... erm..._ incident_ in Taforashia a couple of months ago, and it got broken. I guess 'blown to pieces' would be a better term." Pokota responded, still not making eye contact with them.

"Dang. Tough luck, huh?" Lina commented.

"It was my own fault." Pokota sighed. "I didn't have any materials to make another one either. So... anyway, I left Taforashia trying to find a powerful weapon to replace the replica Sword of Light."

"Does your father know that you're gone?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously.

"Of course he knows!" Pokota defended. "I told him exactly what it was that I planned to do!" His voice trailed off somewhat. "...though planning and actually doing are two very different things..."

"So you've gotten a little sidetracked, eh?" Lina asked.

"Yeah... but I haven't given up!" Pokota said resolutely. "I'm determined to complete my mission if it's the last thing I-" He abruptly stopped.

"If it's the last thing you do?" Gourry finished, wondering why Pokota had cut his sentence off.

"Y-yes! That's what I meant to say!" He replied.

"So... searching for a new weapon, huh? Looks like you and Gourry are in the same boat." Lina observed. "If you would like, I could help you out on this quest of yours. I'm already helping Gourry find a new sword- I can help you out too if you'd like."

Pokota moved the food around on his plate with his fork. "I... I don't know... it's not really..."

Lina jumped up, staring fiercely at the little animal. "What do you mean 'I don't know? THE Lina Inverse has just offered you her help on a quest that doesn't even have anything to do with her! You should be grateful- no, _beyond grateful_! You should practically be on your knees, begging me for some way to repay me for the help that I'm giving you! Quit it with the 'I don't know's!"

"I... uh..." Pokota was greatly startled. "Th-thanks for your help... Lina..."

Zelgadis sighed. Lina could be so vicious sometimes. Couldn't she see that Pokota felt personally responsible for whatever quest he was working on? The little animal didn't want Lina interfering with his mission, and Zelgadis could sympathise. He hoped that Lina wouldn't ask him why _he_ was here...

"But, besides that, what are _you_ doing here, Zel? Weren't you just in Seyruun exploring some ruins?" Lina questioned.

No such luck.

"I left Seyruun several weeks ago on another journey." He replied.

"And how did Amelia feel about that?" Lina asked accusingly.

"She understood that I had things that I needed accomplished." Zelgadis replied guiltily. "Besides, I still write to her..."

"How often?" Lina questioned.

Zel blushed. "That's none of your concern." He figured that Lina would consider writing to someone every single day without fail somewhat stalkerish.

"Fine, fine. But what is this quest that's so important anyway?" She continued.

Zelgadis sighed. "I'm also searching for a particular item, much like Pokota."

"Searching for what?" Lina pressed.

"Is that really necessary to know?" He asked, backing away from Lina slightly. Lina leaned in closer.

"Of course it is!" She smirked, and her voice suddenly became calm and disdainful. "You wouldn't keep secrets from you _dear, dear_ friends, now would you, Zel? You know who_ always_ keeps secrets, don't you? You're not like him at all, right? _Or are you_?"

Zelgadis cringed. He was not like Xellos at all! But if he told Lina what he was looking for...

"I..." He began, sighing. "I'm looking for a particular gemstone."

"Gemstone? As in a jewel? Something incredibly beautiful and incredibly valuable?" Lina stood up, her eyes sparkling greedily.

"This is what I was afraid of..." Zel muttered.

"What kind of jewel? Is it rare? Is it part of some sort of treasure? Is it really valuable?" Lina asked excitedly.

"It...er..." Zelgadis stammered. "I really don't know that much about it. It's apparently a magical item that is supposed to be very beautiful and brings happiness to people who are around it."

"That sounds kind of vague to me." Pokota commented.

"Yeah, I agree. But I was told that I would immediately recognise it when I found it, so it sounds like this thing is pretty self-explanatory." Zel replied.

"Well, I, for one, think that this sounds worth investigating!" Lina exclaimed. "New plan! I'm going to go after this jewel as well!"

"You WHAT?" Zelgadis stood up. "You can't do that! I'm the one who's supposed to be searching for it!"

Lina stood up as well. "What do you mean by that? Is there some rule that says that I can't search for this jewel as well?"

"No... but I thought you wanted to find a new weapon for Gourry and Pokota!" Zel argued.

"I do! But we've been searching for so long, and I've been wanting to do some treasure-hunting anyway! I want to find this jewel! What about you, Pokota?" Lina turned to the stuffed animal.

"Well, since you said that it's supposed to bring happiness, I think that I'd like to find it and send it back to Taforashia in order to help our people." He replied.

"Pokota? You too?" Zelgadis asked incredulously. He wasn't sure how these two people had suddenly taken over his quest. "You guys didn't even ask me _why_ I wanted this jewel in the first place!"

"We didn't need to." Lina replied. "We know that everything you do is directly related to finding your precious cure."

"Th-that is not true!" Zel defended.

"Oh really? Then how is your quest for this jewel so different?" Lina asked suspiciously. Zelgadis seemed to think it over for a minute.

"Well... maybe it's a _little bit_ true..." He sighed, not making eye-contact with them.

"So it's settled, then. We're going to find this jewel!" Lina exclaimed.

"I'm coming too!" Gourry added.

"What? Gourry? Don't tell me you want the jewel too!" Zel said, exasperated.

"Nah, I don't actually." Gourry replied. "I just want Lina."

"WHAT?" Lina whacked Gourry over the head. "What exactly do you mean by _that_?"

"B-bad choice of words!" Gourry defended. "I-I just meant that I was going along because I was following _you_, not because I wanted the jewel! ...please don't hurt me!"

Lina looked like she was about to hit him again, but she stopped. "Whatever. Just think about what you're going to say before you say it, idiot." She turned back to Zelgadis. "But I'm wondering something. How exactly is this jewel supposed to cure you anyway? You never told us."

"It's not supposed to. The jewel has nothing to do with my cure. I was sent on a quest to find it by someone else." Zel replied.

"Really? Someone who has information regarding the cure, huh? Interesting." Lina observed. "But who is this person anyway?"

"None of your business." Zel replied.

"Are they trustworthy?" Lina asked suspiciously.

"Of course! I wouldn't go off on a wild search like this for someone that I didn't trust!" Zelgadis exclaimed.

"Right, right." Lina replied, waving her hand back and forth. "So, where do you propose we go first?"

"I don't want _you_ going anywhere!_ I'm_ the one looking for this jewel, so you three just need to leave me alone!" Zelgadis yelled.

This made Lina really angry. "Look here! I'm going to go after that jewel if I want to! You can't stop me! I'm going to be the person to find this jewel, and that's final!"

"Hey, hey! Don't leave me out!" Pokota interjected. "I want the jewel too!"

"You don't count. Your main goal is the weapon. The jewel is just a side thought. You obviously don't want it as much as I do, stuffed animal." Lina said, batting Pokota aside.

"H-hey! Who are you calling a stuffed animal? I won't take insults like that from some flat-chested, know-it-all sorceress!"

"_What did you just call me?" _Lina growled. "_You know this means war!"_

Lina lunged at the small animal across the table, attempting to grab him. Pokota was too fast and slipped away from her grip. Lina wasn't going to let him get away. "_Fireball!"_

"L-Lina! Not in the restaurant!" Gourry pleaded.

"Fine, then! We'll take this outside_, _fuzzball!" Lina glared at Pokota.

"That's alright with me, flatty!" Pokota shot back.

Seeing the commotion, Zelgadis got up and tried to make a stealthy exit, but Lina caught him. "Where do you think you're going, Zel? Not trying to ditch us, are you? I'll make you pay!" Lina shot a Fireball at him, and the three of them fell out into the street of the village. Zelgadis watched the fight with disgust. Lina wasn't going to let him get away. What terrible luck.

"Lina and Pokota are really fighting!" Gourry exclaimed as he joined his friend. "And you all left _me_ behind to pay for lunch. Thanks a lot."

"Sorry." Zelgadis replied. "I just can't believe that Lina thinks she can just come in and take over my search for this jewel! First I'm delayed in meeting a particular person that I was seeking for help, and then I have the misfortune to meet up with these freaks- not meaning you Gourry. And now they're taking over my quest! Could my day possibly get any worse?"

"Don't ask if your day will get worse, because it will." Gourry warned. "I always ask, 'can this day get any better?' Usually when I do that, things improve."

"Alright, fine." Zelgadis sighed. "Is there any possible way that this day could get any better?"

"Now wait for something good to happen." Gourry said, smiling.

"I don't have time for this." Zelgadis leaned against the wall of a building, pulling out a book. "Tell me when those two stop fighting." He said, flipping through the pages to find the spot where he had left off.

"You crazy little freak! I'll cut you down to size! Oh wait! You're already so small!" Lina teased as she fired attacks at Pokota.

"Well at least I'm small all over! You're only small where you don't need to be!" Pokota yelled, returning Lina attacks.

"Still with the same insults, eh? At least I can think of creative ones, pipsqueak!" Lina called.

"Fireball!"

"_Fireball!"_

A girl was walking down the street a little way back, not paying attention to the people who were fighting ahead of her. She was wrapped up in the nice, weather. It was early autumn, and the mid-afternoon temperatures were very pleasant. She was also daydreaming, and didn't notice the two people fighting until she nearly got hit with a Fireball.

"Waaaaa!~"

"Hey! Pokota! Look what you did! You nearly made me hit that girl!" Lina yelled.

"It's not my fault that you have poor aim! You're just a lousy shot!" The little animal called back.

"A lousy shot? Why I ought to-"

"UNJUST!"

Lina and Pokota gasped. The girl had made a recovery from her near collision with the Fireball, and was now standing between the two of them.

"I don't know what prompted such a fight between the two of you, but you must stop it right now! Petty violence is not the way to solve small disputes, and fighting between two good friends like this is simply unjust!"

"A-Amelia!" Lina gasped. The Fireball that she held threateningly in her hands disappeared. Amelia smiled, seeing the violence dying down.

"What a surprise to see you again, Miss Lina. And you too, Mister Pokota." Amelia nodded to them. "And I'm sure that, with Miss Lina here, Mister Gourry is not too far away either."

"What is up with this?" Pokota asked incredulously. "First Gourry and Lina, and then Zel, and now Amelia? Are all the people from my past coming back to haunt me?"

"What's wrong, stuffed animal? Are you unhappy to see us?" Lina asked angrily.

"Well..."

"Hey! Amelia! Over here!" Gourry called, waving.

"Oh! Mister Gourry!" Amelia replied, running up to him. "And... Mister Zelgadis! It's so good to see you again! What are you doing here? I thought that you were farther ahead in the path you were taking."

Lina waited to see how Zelgadis would act, now that Amelia was here, but he didn't say anything. He didn't even look up at Amelia. Even if he had heard what she'd said to him, he looked as though he hadn't.

"Mister Zelgadis?" Amelia asked, looking puzzled. "Hey, what's wrong? Mister Zelgadis?"

Zelgadis still didn't reply, or even acknowledge that Amelia was there. Lina began to get annoyed. She was usually ticked off by how much better he treated Amelia than his other friends, but now something was wrong. Lina, Gourry, and Pokota wondered if something had happened between them.

"Hey, Zel! Amelia's talking to you! Why aren't you doing anything?" Lina yelled, grabbing the chimera's arm.

"Hmm? She's talking to _me_? Really?" He asked in an almost mocking tone.

"Of course she's talking to you! Can't you hear? Or are you being so stubborn and obnoxious that-"

"Wait for it..." Zelgadis silenced Lina, looking at Amelia. The princess seemed to be deep in thought, trying to figure out what was wrong with her friend. Suddenly, she gasped.

"Oh- oh no!" She asked, beginning to panic frantically. "I did it again, didn't I? I'm so sorry! It just completely slipped my mind, and I forgot, and didn't even notice, and, and..." She sighed, regaining her composure. "I'm sorry... _Zelgadis_."

Lina, Gourry, and Pokota all fell to the ground.

"I suppose it's my fault for not being around to remind you all the time." Zelgadis smiled, putting his hand on Amelia's head and playing with her hair affectionately. "It's always good to see you too. Looks like Gourry was right after all."

"Your _name_? That's what that was about? I swear-" Lina growled, getting back up.

"What's wrong, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked. "He asked me to call him 'Zelgadis' since we were working together as partners. I kept forgetting to call him that, so he told me that he wouldn't answer to 'Mister Zelgadis.' Just 'Zelgadis.' And it worked!"

"At least while I was there." Zelgadis said. "I'm surprised that you forgot in such as short amount of time."

"S-sorry. I wasn't thinking, that's all." Amelia blushed. "Old habits are hard to break."

"I understand." He said, smiling at her again.

"I. can't. stand. THIS!" Lina growled. "What is the matter with you, Zel? You have the nerve to be a total jerk to us back there, and now Amelia shows up and you're practically falling all over her!"

"I'm _what_?" He asked.

"What happened between you two anyway?" Pokota questioned.

"We worked together as partners for a long time, uncovering some ancient ruins in Seyruun." Amelia said. "But Mister Ze- uh, _Zelgadis_, left a little less than a month ago to search for some sort of jewel."

"And you didn't find anything related to a cure in the ruins, right?" Lina asked, still angry.

"Unfortunately, no." Zel replied. "We did a lot of exploring, and found lots of artefacts that were important to the history of Seyruun... a lot dating all the way back to the War of the Monster's Fall, but nothing about a cure."

"That's too bad. But maybe you'll find your cure once you get this jewel." Gourry said.

"...who knows?" Was all Zelgadis replied.

"The way I see things..." Lina began suspiciously, staring at Amelia and Zelgadis, "it seems that there was a lot more going on in those ruins besides just exploring, if you know what I mean."

"Wh-what are you saying, Miss Lina? Are you accusing us of doing bad things? " Amelia asked in shock.

"Well... it would be quite dark and close down in the underground ruins, not to mention that you'd be completely alone if it was just the two of you. It's not surprising that someone would just assume..." Lina let her voice trail off as she stared mockingly at Amelia.

Amelia's face turned red. "M-Miss Lina! How could you even think about something like that?" She said frantically. "What kind of person do you think I am? Honestly, how could a person ever assume-"

"Just ignore her, Amelia." Zel said coolly, putting his hand on Amelia's shoulder. "Don't let her get to you. It's not our problem if she's completely wrong about something like that." He glared at Lina and she glared right back at him.

"Yeah, Lina! Get your mind out of the gutter already!" Pokota exclaimed, hitting Lina on the head.

"Well, at least I have a mind!" Lina shot back. "Seems like all you've got in that head of yours is fluff!"

"Oh, so you're going to start that again, are you?" Pokota growled.

"WOULD YOU TWO PLEASE SHUT UP?"

Lina and Pokota stopped their yelling and turned around, surprised. "Gee, way to lose your cool there, Zel." Lina murmured.

"Sorry." Zelgadis replied. "But the two of you really shouldn't be fighting. Like you said, you both want the jewel, right? So you're both working toward the same goal. If you want to get anywhere with your quests, you'll have to work together. You shouldn't be fighting because of this, understand?"

Lina and Pokota stared disparagingly at Zel. "What is with you two?" He asked.

"That... was actually kind of pathetic." Pokota criticised.

"Yeah, Zel. If you're going to make a Justice-speech, you've got to actually _try_ to put some emotion into it. Honestly, being all stoic like that- you'll never get Amelia." Lina agreed.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Zelgadis stammered, blushing. "I was just trying to get you to stop yelling. You were giving me a headache."

"Yeah!" Amelia agreed. "And I happen to_ like_ his stoicism, thank you very much!"

Zel's face turned even redder. "A-Amelia..." He sighed.

"But besides that, what did you say about Miss Lina and Mister Pokota and the jewel?" Amelia asked.

"We want to find that jewel that Zel is looking for too!" Lina exclaimed.

"Wh-whaaaat? But why?" Amelia gasped.

"Why? Because it's treasure, genius!" Lina shot back. "And you know how I feel about treasure!"

"W-well yes... but..." Amelia's voice trailed off. "If that's all you want with it... then I think that Zelgadis' reasons for searching for it seem a bit... more just."

"Hey! I want to find the jewel so that I can send it back to Taforashia and help my people! I think that has to be the most just reason!" Pokota said.

"BUT, Pokota over here doesn't want it that bad. What you really want is a good weapon, right?" Lina asked.

"R-right..." Pokota mumbled. "Yeah, I guess I don't care all that much for the jewel... but if Lina finds it first, then I'll fight her for it! If Zelgadis finds it first... well, he can just have it. I don't really care all that much."

"Why you little... you're just competing with me to tick me off, aren't you? I'm going to kill you, you little fuzzball!" Lina yelled, reaching for Pokota, who actually allowed himself to be grabbed by the ears again.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" He asked almost seriously.

Lina stared at his blunt response. "A threat." She responded, dropping him. "For now anyway."

"Can you two please focus?" Zelgadis asked. "I wanted to have left already."

"Left for where?" Gourry asked.

"Do you mean the jewel expert?" Amelia asked. "What was his name again? Mister Hoseki?"

Zelgadis nodded. "Shichiro Hoseki."

"Who the heck is that?" Lina asked. "Never heard of him before."

"I'll explain on the way there." Zelgadis replied. "At this rate, we may not reach his house until late tonight."

"Got it." Lina replied. "Well, Gourry, Pokota, looks like we're off on another escapade." She grinned. "Say, Amelia, are you coming? You are here, after all."

"Well... I was returning from an errand that I was running for my father, but...I really would like to come with you guys..." Amelia mumbled. "Oh! I've got an idea!" She brightened. "I'll just write a letter to Daddy asking him for permission to travel with you! I'll go to visit Mister Hoseki with you while I wait for him to reply! That works, right?"

Lina smirked. "That's _some_ plan you've got there, Amelia. Ask your dad for permission to go on this quest, and then begin on it while you wait for his reply. By the time he can say 'no,' you'll already be so involved in it that you wouldn't be able to leave, I'll bet."

"M-Miss Lina! You're making me out to be such a bad person today!" Amelia said sadly.

"I think that it's a good idea. We're leaving right now anyway, so if Amelia wants to come with us, she'll have to join us at this point. And if Phil orders her home, then she'll return home, no matter what the state of our mission. Isn't that right, Amelia?" Zelgadis said.

"Right, Mister Zelgadis!"

...

"I said, 'isn't that right, Amelia?"

"Ah! Sorry! Right, _Zelgadis_!"

Lina groaned as she followed them. "Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a very long trip?"

* * *

"So, who is this Shichiro Hoseki? What does he do?" Lina asked again as they walked along a path. She and Zelgadis seemed to be the only ones not distracted by the views of the landscape around them. Amelia and Gourry were amazed at the beauty of the late-summer wildflowers in the field surrounded by majestic mountain peaks that already had snow covering much of their summits. The sun had only just set beyond the mountaintops, and the glow of it could still be seen. Pokota was less interested in the actual scenery. He was simply staring into space with a contemplative expression.

"He apparently has a well-earned reputation for being an expert at anything regarding gemstones. He's a masterful jeweller, a knowledgeable mineralogist, and curator of a large collection of rare and valuable gemstones from around the world."

"Wow!" Lina's eyes sparkled. "So he's the go-to person for anything regarding treasure, correct? Amazing! He sure sounds like my type of guy!"

Gourry caught her last sentence. "What? Who is? Who are you talking about?"

Lina whacked him on the head with a slipper. "Don't be so worried, jellyfish-brain. We're talking about a guy that know a lot about jewels, that's all. Besides, I'm not getting my hopes up. With my luck, he's probably some fanatical old guy with way too much time on his hands. You know I don't like crazy, elderly people."

"Oh, right. Right. I knew that." Gourry replied.

"Hey, you guys! There's a house up ahead! Is that the one we're trying to find?" Amelia asked, pointing down the path a way.

"That's it." Zelgadis said. "We made good time."

"Well, Miss Lina is a fast walker, and we all had to keep up." Amelia pointed out.

"Yeah! So you should be thanking me, Zel!" Lina said happily.

"Whatever. Let's just get going. If it gets any later, his shop might be closed, and we don't want to inconvenience him." Zelgadis said, walking ahead of the others.

"Right. Lead the way, Zel." Lina said, staring up at the lights of the house in the distance.

It seemed like things were about to get interesting.

* * *

(A/N: Ah, and so another story begins! I'm excited about this one! And if you notice that Pokota is out-of-character, just a bit, that is completely and totally intentional. There's a lot going on in his mind, and it's affecting his behaviour, if you couldn't tell. Makes you wonder why he's doing his best to tick Lina off, though... R&R! :3)


	2. 2: Introductions! The famed gem expert?

Alright! Second chapter! And by the way, I still don't own Slayers or anything. *pauses, and checks imaginary watch* Uh, nope. Still don't. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter. :3

* * *

**2- Introductions! The famed gem expert?**

"Wow! Would you look at _that_!" Lina exclaimed as they reached the shop of the jewel expert. Next to the door was an enormous crystal, an opaque pink colour. "Gosh, just think of what it would be like to find something like that!"

"It's quartz, so it's not especially valuable." Zelgadis observed, much to Lina's disappointment. "But the large crystal size adds to its rarity. That thing is nearly a metre tall."

"How could a crystal get that big anyway?" Gourry asked.

"Well, these types of minerals crystallise from magma chambers deep underground. The longer that the magma takes to cool, the longer the crystals have to grow, and the larger they become. This one obviously formed in very slowly cooling magma. It must have taken it millions of years..." Zelgadis replied, still examining the crystal.

"Ow, too much information!" Gourry exclaimed. He'd never been awfully good at science.

"If he has this thing outside, imagine what kinds of things he must have inside! Come on, let's go in!" Lina exclaimed.

The gem shop was actually more of a combination of a shop and a house. There was a one-story store for customers to come and go, and behind it was a three-story house that seemed friendly and inviting, despite the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere.

Lina pushed open the door, and was met with a ringing of small bells tied to it. She looked around the small shop with amazement. There were all kinds of jewels- large ones, small ones, coloured ones, translucent ones, finely cut ones, and uncut ones that looked like they had just been chipped off a cliff face. All of them were displayed neatly on shelves. Most appeared to be part of a collection, though some were for sale. Lina examined the prices. They were reasonable enough that the seller would make a profit, but not so outrageous that the customer would feel slighted. Lina's respect for this person as a merchant grew quite a bit.

A voice from farther back in the house called out. "Oh, I'm sorry! Do I have guests? I'll be right with you!"

Lina listened with surprise. The voice sounded like it would belong to a young man. How old was this jeweller anyway?

The group was suddenly met by a boy who looked as if he wasn't much older than 13 or 14. He had long, raven-black hair that was loosely tied back, reaching just past his knees. He removed a pair of reading glasses, and his topaz-coloured eyes sparkled as if they were gems themselves. "I apologise; I hope I didn't keep you waiting long." He said, smiling kindly.

Lina was surprised by the boy's stature. He looked to be young, but his professional demeanour made him seem older than he looked.

"You... you're the jeweller here?" Zelgadis asked, not quite sure if this boy could be the famed person or not.

The boy made a slight bow. "That's correct. Shichiro Hoseki, at your service."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Amelia exclaimed. "You're so young!"

"Oh, that's what everyone says. I'm really older than I look. I've just always been kind of short, unfortunately." He replied, laughing. "So, do you people need my help with something?"

"Yes." Zelgadis stepped forward, suddenly realising how much taller he was than the boy. "I, er, _we_ are searching for a particular gemstone, but it's a magical gemstone, and we wanted to know if you could help us find it."

Shichiro scanned the people who had filled the room, almost as if he was examining each one. He seemed to find Pokota and Zelgadis slightly interesting, but he paused for a long moment when he looked at Lina, with a wistful expression that made Lina slightly uncomfortable, and Gourry even more so.

Shichiro turned back to Zelgadis with a smile. "Hmm, a magical gemstone, you say? I do have quite a few books on that particular subject in my basement, and I have quite a history in working with magical items. I'd be glad to help you."

"Really? You'd help us?" Amelia asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course." Shichiro replied with a smile. "Ah, but it's getting a bit late. You travellers have come a long way, right? Have you had dinner yet?"

"Nope, we haven't had anything since lunch." Gourry replied. "...unless we _did_, and I just forgot about it."

"We haven't had anything since lunch, jellyfish-brain!" Lina exclaimed, knocking him over the head.

Shichiro chuckled. "Well, would you be so kind as to join me for dinner? We can discuss your search for this jewel while we eat."

"Sounds good!" Lina and Gourry said at the same time.

* * *

"I'm amazed that Mister Shichiro made so much food. I suppose that it's a good thing, since Miss Lina and Mister Gourry are really going through it." Amelia observed.

The group had gone through introductions, and Shichiro recognised some of their names.

"Ah, Seyruun. I've been there before, quite pleasant place, I must say. And Taforashia- that country was sealed off for quite a while, I believe. Some sort of plague, wasn't it?"

Pokota nodded from his perch atop Shichiro's head. Shichiro was seated on one end of the rectangular table, with Lina to his right and Gourry to his left. Amelia was beside Lina, and Zelgadis was across from her, beside Gourry.

"Pokota, could you please get down from there? It's really impolite to sit on your host's head while he's trying to eat dinner." Lina chided.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's fine." Shichiro assured her. "I don't mind him at all. He reminds me of my cat, Riko."

The grey cat sat under the table, eyeing the visitors to her master's home warily. She seemed especially cautious of the red-haired sorceress.

"So... you are the famous bandit-killer Lina Inverse that I've heard so much about." Shichiro continued, staring at Lina with an expression that she couldn't identify.

"Just what exactly have you heard about me?" Lina asked suspiciously.

"Oh, this and that." Shichiro replied, still staring at Lina. "I always thought that the rumours were a tad bit outlandish, but I'm still surprised. I didn't expect the notorious Lina Inverse to be so..." He seemed to be searching for a word.

Lina cringed, wondering how he was going to insult her. So small? Unattractive? Non-threatening?

"... so beautiful." He finished.

Lina caught her breath. 'Beautiful?' Had he just called her 'beautiful?' "I... I, er, well, thank you." She stammered, not sure how to respond to that. Shichiro gave Lina a friendly smile, but she shot a quick glance at her swordsman companion who seemed to suddenly find his dinner much more interesting than the conversation. Lina couldn't shake the feeling that Gourry was a little bothered, but she tried to ignore it.

"So, Mister Shichiro, what about you?" Amelia asked. "Do you have a lot of brothers and sisters? And is all of your family as interested in jewels as you are?"

_(A/N: 'Shichiro' is Japanese for 'seventh son' and his last name, 'Hoseki,' literally means 'jewel,' hence Amelia's questions about his family.)_

"Oh, I don't have quite that many brothers and sisters." Shichiro replied, laughing. "I got this name because seven is supposed to be a lucky number. I do have several siblings, though none of them are as interested in jewels. I have a sister with an affinity for shiny things- you know how some girls can be- but she is really better suited to working with animals." At the mention of animals, the grey cat leaped up onto the table beside her master, who stroked her affectionately. "As far as animals go for me, I'm really only good with the small ones, like Riko here."

"Wow. She's a lovely cat." Amelia commented.

"Yes, she's been my companion for quite a long time." Shichiro said, smiling.

The cat left Shichiro's side for a moment, going over to Lina's plate, and stealing a piece of chicken that Lina had been saving. "Hey, you dirty cat! That was mine!" Lina yelled, trying to grab the fast-moving cat. Riko turned on Lina and gave her a scratch on the face. "Why you little..." Lina managed to grab the feline and hold her in a headlock while the cat writhed and hissed at the sorceress. Shichiro laughed at the spectacle.

"H-hey! What's so funny?" Lina asked, dropping Riko, who quickly ran off the table and back to the feet of her master.

"Oh, nothing much." Shichiro replied with a grin. "I just always find it funny that two things that are so adorable could fight so viciously."

Lina caught the word 'viciously' before the word 'adorable.' "WHAT did you say-" She suddenly stopped. 'Adorable?' First 'beautiful' and now 'adorable?' What was up with this guy anyway?

"So, how long have you owned this shop? How old are you anyway?" Zelgadis interrupted Lina.

"Oh, everyone always has to ask me how old I am." Shichiro sighed. "I may be small, but the truth is that I'm actually a little over sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Lina asked, surprised. She eyed the boy warily, remembering how he had looked at her before, and all his compliments, and realising that there was only about four years in between them. Not any less than the difference between her and Gourry, right?

"As for the store, I started it about two years ago, and since then I've apparently gotten quite a reputation. People come from all over- I've even had some customers from the outer world." Shichiro continued.

"Uh, anyway, enough with all this personal stuff! What about the jewel? That's what we came here for, isn't it?" Lina exclaimed pushing aside her tenth empty dinner plate.

"Ah, yes. The jewel. I believe that it would be useful to consult some of the books that I have in my library in the basement." Shichiro said, nodding and standing up. "So, if you'd like to, we can go ahead in that direction."

"That sounds good." Zelgadis replied.

* * *

"So, Mister Shichiro, what exactly do you do in your shop? Do you just sell gems?" Amelia asked, as they walked down the long staircase.

"No, though I do some selling of gemstones. I'm also a collector, so I do a lot of buying. I can also do appraisals for gemstones that people find, but don't know the value of. I do some cutting of jewels to increase their value, and make repairs on old pieces of jewellery that might have become broken, or lost parts of them." Shichiro answered.

"Sounds like you do a lot." Pokota observed. "No wonder you got such a good reputation so quickly."

"So, uh, Shichiro," Lina began curiously. "Say someone asks you to repair a set of jewellery for them, and there's a piece that you especially like. Do you ever... keep some for yourself?"

"Miss Lina Inverse, are you asking me if I ever _steal_ from my clients? That would be dishonest and completely wrong. If I see a piece that I like, I might ask to purchase it from the person, but I'd never steal something." Shichiro replied.

"Uh, yeah. Of course. I was just asking." Lina responded. It was a good answer. By this time, Lina had great respect for the boy as a merchant, but there was something about the way he looked at her that kept her from getting too close to him.

"Here we go. The book is in one of these bookshelves." Shichiro said, looking around at the bookcases in the basement. "Now if I could only remember which one..."

"Hey, he sounds kind of like me." Gourry observed aside to Lina.

"Yeah, I guess in _this_ situation..." Lina mumbled. Gourry never called her 'beautiful' or 'adorable,' though she wasn't quite sure why that annoyed her.

Shichiro had chosen one bookshelf, and was attempting to reach a book on the very top shelf. He tried using one of the lower shelves as a step, but the bookcase suddenly began to sway back and forth. He fell off, as all the books from the shelves fell on top of him in a pile.

_CRASH!_

"Oh! Mister Shichiro, are you okay?" Amelia gasped. Shichiro poked his head out of the pile of books, his eyes swirling.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He snapped to attention again. "I just remembered where the book is!"

Picking himself up from the pile of books, he walked over to a corner, and stood on top of a chair, reaching for a high shelf. He pulled an old book out, brushing off a thick layer of dust. "This is the one." He said.

Lina and her friends stared in incredulity at the boy. At least he had found the book...

"So, what does it say about the jewel?" Lina asked, leaning over the boy's shoulder.

"Well, Miss Lina Inverse," Shichiro began, turning his head so that his face was right next to hers. Lina shot back a few inches, blushing. "I have no idea what kind of jewel you're looking for. Could you give some details on it?"

"Um, er, well... I don't really know anything about it either. Ask Zel." Lina replied.

Zelgadis approached the boy, looking at the old book with interest. "I'm not really well-informed on it either, I just know that it's a magical gemstone that's supposed to be very beautiful, and makes people around it happy."

"That's fine. At least we kind of know what magical effect that the jewel has." Shichiro said, flipping through the pages of the book. "And I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but most people are pretty agreed when it comes to gemstones. Let me see..."

Shichiro stopped at one particular place in the book. "Did you find something?" Pokota asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Shichiro replied.

"Really?" Zelgadis asked. It was the closest thing to being excited that Lina had ever heard from him.

"Yes. There is supposed to be a cave several miles north of here, that is said to possess a gemstone that has a somewhat hypnotic effect on the people who approach it. It seems a bit far-fetched, but it fits the description of your gem pretty well. It's less than a day's journey from here, if you wanted to check it out." Shichiro placed a bookmark in the book to keep their place, and then closed it. "I can't accompany you, since I'm expecting some customers to return for something they left with me a while ago, but you could go to explore the cave and report back as soon as you are finished. Would that be a good idea?"

"Sounds good!" Lina exclaimed.

"Yeah! Sure does!" Gourry agreed, wondering why he felt relieved when Shichiro said that he wasn't going to be accompanying them. Shichiro was so nice, after all...

"Oh, and Mister Shichiro? Can I ask a favour?" Amelia questioned.

"Of course, Princess Amelia. What is it?" Shichiro replied.

"Um, I was wondering if you could mail a letter for me. And could I give them the address of this place so that they could write me back here?" Amelia asked sheepishly. "You see, the truth is that my father doesn't even know that I'm here. I want to get his permission before I get too far involved in this..."

"Of course you can write to your dad." Shichiro replied, smiling. "And if you're not here when he writes back, then I'll hold the letter for you so that you can get it as soon as you return."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Amelia exclaimed, bowing gratefully.

Shichiro continued talking as he climbed the stairs. "Since there's not a town right here by my shop, the five of you can stay here at my house. I have two guest rooms, so I hope that would be acceptable lodging for you."

"Wow! Thanks a lot!" Pokota exclaimed. "That's awfully nice of you!"

"Oh, don't mention it. I'm always glad to find people who share an interest in gemstones the way I do. Please, make yourselves at home. I know that it's not exactly what a prince and princess would be used to, but..."

"It's way better than camping!" Amelia assured Shichiro.

"Well, let's take our stuff upstairs!" Lina said, grabbing the princess by the arm. "Come on, Amelia! We've got to claim the better bedroom before the others get to it!"

"Uh, r-right, Miss Lina!" Amelia said, allowing herself to be dragged by Lina up the staircase.

"Hey! Don't forget about us! Get back here!" Pokota yelled, chasing after them. Zelgadis and Gourry watched them go.

"Those three just have so much energy..." Zel sighed.

"Yeah." Gourry agreed. Shichiro had gone to clean up after dinner, which left the two friends alone on the main level of the house.

"Well, this morning I was travelling alone, and now I've got four people tagging along." Zelgadis continued. "I really don't mind you and Amelia at all, but Lina and Pokota just have a way of getting on my nerves."

Gourry laughed. "Lina does that to everyone she meets. It's like a hobby of hers. So what do you want to do? Should we kick Pokota out of our room?"

"Nah. That wouldn't be very nice, plus Amelia would probably think that it was_ unjust_." Zelgadis replied jokingly.

"Yeah, she sure would." Gourry said. "Say, Zel?"

"What is it?"

"Well... I could probably convince Lina and Pokota to room with me if you wanted to share a room with Amelia..."

"_Wh-what_? No way! What are you talking about?" Zel stammered, blushing.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that. You just said that Lina and Pokota get one your nerves, so..."

"I will _live_ with it, Gourry. Trust me."

* * *

It was later that night, and everyone had gone to bed except for Zelgadis. He found a place on the third-floor balcony and was reading a book by the moonlight. He was at least a little grateful for his impervious skin- even though the days were still warm, the nights could become quite cold. The sound of the door opening behind him interrupted his reading.

"Zelgadis? You're still awake?"

"Amelia?" Zelgadis marked the page with a bookmark, and put the book down. "What are you doing? I thought you were asleep."

"Well, I was heading that way, I just wanted a bit of fresh air first. Miss Lina is already out cold." Amelia said, sitting down on the bench beside Zelgadis. "I guess being in Seyruun so long, I've forgotten what it's like to have to share a bedroom with someone."

"Is Lina that bad?" Zel asked teasingly.

"No, I'm just not used to it." Amelia replied. A cold breeze blew across the terrace, and Amelia, in her short-sleeved travelling clothes, grabbed Zelgadis' cape and pulled it around her, resting her head on his shoulder. He blushed, remembering Gourry's offer earlier.

"I know what you mean." He said. "When I left Seyruun, I guess I'd forgotten how lonely it is travelling by yourself. It was pretty bad, but I guess I got used to it..."

"But now we're back together again. That's good, isn't it?" Amelia asked. Zelgadis wasn't sure if she was talking about the whole group being together, or just the two of them, but he answered anyway.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"Say, Mister Shichiro is being really nice to us, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is, and he isn't even asking for anything in return. It makes me wonder if he has some sort of ulterior motive." Zelgadis replied.

"That's awfully mean of you to say, Zelgadis. Are you suspicious of him?" Amelia wondered.

"Not really suspicious, more like... just curious."

"I see. I think I might have some idea..." Amelia began.

"What is that?"

"Well, did you notice how nice he was being to Miss Lina? He called her 'beautiful' and 'adorable,' and did you see the way he looked at her? I think he was staring at her half the time that we were all talking." Amelia said.

"So... you think that he's helping us out because he has some sort of crush on Lina?" Zelgadis asked.

"Maybe... in my opinion, it's actually kind of cute." Amelia replied.

"Really? I thought that you wanted Lina to end up with Gourry." Zel laughed.

"Well, of course I do! They're perfect for each other! Miss Lina isn't interested in Mister Shichiro anyway. I just think it's kind of cute, is all."

"If you say so..." Zel sighed.

Zelgadis put his arm around Amelia, and the two sat in silence again for a while. He almost thought that she had fallen asleep, when her small voice startled him.

"There are so many stars out here." She murmured.

"Oh, yeah. There are." He replied.

"You can't see this many when you're in Seyruun. Too many lights."

"That's true. I'd forgotten that. I suppose that I take them for granted, always seeing them up there when I'm travelling." Zelgadis answered.

They both paused for a moment, looking up at the stars around them. Amelia spoke up again, softer this time than last time.

"Um, Zelgadis? I know it's kind of early to ask this, but... what exactly do you plan to do after you find this jewel?"

Zelgadis thought it over. "Well, I'll have to let the person who asked me to find it know. And then... I guess I haven't given it much thought. I'm not really sure what's going to happen, so..."

"Would you... please come back to Seyruun with me?"

Zelgadis blushed again at her blunt question. "Ah, yes, I suppose I could. For how long?"

"I don't know... forever." Amelia seemed to be mumbling, half-asleep.

"That's a long time, Amelia. Would you really want me around for that long?" He asked.

"Oh yes." Amelia mumbled, still half-conscious. "You'd be a really good prince, Zelgadis. You're so brave, and strong, and loving, and just, and honourable..." Her voice trailed off as she began to fall asleep. Zelgadis didn't have the heart to wake her up. He was too busy thinking over what she had said.

Amelia had been mumbling, half-asleep, right? She hadn't been serious, had she? Him, a prince? That would have to mean that the two of them...

Shaking his head, he picked up the sleeping girl and carried her inside. He placed Amelia back in her bed in the room she shared with Lina, and went back out to get his book before going to bed himself. Gourry and Pokota were already fast asleep as well.

"I wonder... what_ is_ going to happen when I find that jewel?" He mumbled to himself as he began to drift to sleep. "Ah, well... it doesn't matter right now. I'll probably have a lot to worry about before I have to think about that..."

He had no idea how right he was.

* * *

(A/N: We finally meet Shichiro! He's so incredibly smart and nice... but he's officially hit on Lina this chapter more than Gourry. And Gourry can't figure out why he doesn't like the guy... *sigh* Oh, and if you can't tell, writing Zel/Amelia fluff makes me happy. :3)


	3. 3:Startling Discovery! The sealed cave!

And... the third chapter! Yay! This one brings some conflict with it! I still don't own Slayers... but I do own some giant microbe plush toys- MRSA and Ebola! Happy early birthday to me! XD Anyway, enjoy the story.

* * *

**3- Startling Discoveries! The sealed mountain cave!**

"This should be all the supplies you need for two days. I would advise you to come back after that amount of time even if you hadn't found the jewel. Your safety is quite important, and I want to be sure that nothing bad happens. I've explored this area and know it very well. There are all manner of creatures living in those mountains. I advise you to be careful what you do." Shichiro finished talking, handing the supplies to Lina and her friends.

"This is awfully generous of you, Mister Shichiro." Amelia said gratefully.

"Oh, think nothing of it. I was planning to attempt to find that cave earlier- I'm working on a geologic map of the area- but never got around to it. So it's my way of thanking you for helping me out. Since you are taking notes on the rock features and such." Shichiro replied modestly.

"Well, anyway, we should get going. If this cave is as large as it sounds like it is, then two days might not be enough time to explore all of it." Zelgadis said, beginning on the path.

"Hey, don't leave without us, Zelgadis!" Amelia called, running up to him and grabbing his arm.

Lina sighed exasperatedly and shook her head at the two of them. "Well, let's get going too."

"Right!" Gourry grabbed Lina's arm, but she pulled it away.

"What do you think you're doing? We've got important things to do! Come on, idiot! Lina ran ahead.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Gourry called. Pokota flew after them.

Shichiro watched the travellers go. "Farewell, and stay safe!" He called, but they were already out of hearing range.

* * *

The group walked for the whole morning, and a small portion of the afternoon, following the map that Shichiro had given them. The terrain had changed from flat and grassy, to mountainous and rugged. Zelgadis examined their surroundings. "This is odd. According to the information, the cave's entrance should be right around here. Does anyone see it?"

"I can't see anything but rocks." Lina said.

"Yeah, me neither." Gourry agreed.

"I can fly up and get a better view if you want." Pokota said, taking off toward the sky, while Lina and her friends searched on the ground. "I don't see anything!" Pokota called from his lofty position.

Zelgadis examined the map, trying to figure out if they had made some sort of wrong turn. Just then, he was interrupted by a loud scream and a crash. Zelgadis would know that voice anywhere. "Amelia!" He called, rushing to the place where she stood- or _had_ stood. It was now occupied by a large sinkhole. He rushed to the edge, and looked down into the darkness. "Amelia! Are you okay?" He called.

There was a moment of silence."Zelgadis! I found the cave!" Amelia's voice echoed through the underground chamber.

"Uh, yeah. I can see that." Zel called back, his eye twitching. Why hadn't Shichiro warned them about this? Lina, Gourry, and Pokota joined Zel at the edge of the newly formed cave entrance.

"Nice work, Amelia!" Lina called down.

"Um, thank you...?" Amelia's voice answered.

"How far down is it?" Gourry asked.

"Not far. You could easily jump down." Amelia said.

"Well, here goes nothing!" Lina said, leaping over the edge of the hole.

"Right behind you!" Gourry called, jumping in after her.

Zelgadis sighed. "You coming, Pokota?" He asked.

"Coming!" Pokota called, flying down into the hole after Zelgadis.

* * *

"It sure is dark down here." Lina observed, holding her Lighting spell up so that she could get a better look at her surroundings.

"Yeah. Who would think to hide a jewel in here? It doesn't make much sense." Amelia agreed.

"Not only that, but I'm not even sure that this cave has a natural entrance. We haven't seen any animals in here. No bats, spiders or cave crickets. If there was a natural entrance, then animals would have inhabited this place by now." Zelgadis said.

"So how would people get down into the cave if there was no natural entrance?" Pokota asked.

"They could do what Amelia did." Gourry offered.

"I... highly doubt that." Lina said.

"Yes, I agree with Lina. The cave ceiling does seem pretty sturdy, except for that one place where Amelia fell. But then how would someone get in, unless...?" Zelgadis puzzled. Suddenly the group was stopped by the distant sound of footsteps splashing on the damp floor of the cave.

Amelia grabbed onto Zel's arm. "Is someone there?" She whispered.

"I don't know." He whispered back. "Lina, can you see anyone up ahead?"

"I can't quite see that far..." Lina mumbled, holding up her Lighting spell to get a better look. In the distance, where the footsteps were coming from, she could see a figure of a person walking the corridor. Lina couldn't make out details, but it looked as though the person turned his head and noticed the group of travellers. Lina stepped back a little. "It's a person... and I think he sees us..." She said, a hint of fear in her voice.

"That means that someone was here before us. This can't be good. We're still not sure whether that 'person' is really human." Zelgadis added.

"What do we do? Do you think that he's a good guy or a bad guy?" Amelia asked.

"Well, there's no time to worry about that. I'm going to Fireball them anyway!" Lina said, stepping forward with a spell in her hand. "FIREBALL!"

There was an explosion farther down in the cave, and they heard an exclamation of surprise.

"Oh my! A Fireball before you even introduce yourself? I see that's you're still the same, Lina Inverse!"

Lina's eye twitched. It was a voice she immediately recognised. "You have GOT to be kidding me..." She groaned.

Pokota seemed to recognise it too. "That isn't...?" He began.

"I'm afraid it is." Lina sighed.

"Xellos!" Zelgadis hissed. "What are you doing down here? If you say that you're searching for a jewel, I am going to..."

"Oh, well, aren't _you_ just as violent as ever?" Xellos asked, quickly retreating from where Zelgadis was standing. "As it turns out, the rumours of a jewel in this cave are of no interest to the monster race whatsoever. I'm just doing a little research."

Zel seemed to calm down a bit. At least Xellos wasn't stealing his quest as well. "Research on what?"

"That, my friend, is a secret."

Lina groaned. "You're still the same too, Xellos. So, where's your little monster friend that's always tagging along with you?"

"Oh, you mean Lorelei?" Xellos asked. "Well, she's in the city of Sairaag right now, paying a visit to her best friend."

Lina clenched her fist. "XELLOS! I swear, if you don't keep that stupid little monster away from my apprentice, SOMEONE is going to get hurt!"

"Now, now, calm down, Lina. They're friends, right?" Gourry said, trying to calm Lina.

"Whatever. So you're doing some sort of research here, huh?" Lina asked. "Can you tell us anything about a jewel hidden in this cave?"

"A jewel? You mean the jewel that was buried deep within this cave system?" Xellos responded.

"You know about it? Where is it? What does it do?" Lina questioned excitedly.

"Oh, well, this jewel was placed within this sealed cave by the monster race, as it has a powerful hypnotic effect on those who approach it. I'd advise staying away from it, however. The effects can sometimes be... less than desirable."

"What do you mean by that?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously.

"Well, it is said that the visions that the jewel gives you could possibly drive a person to insanity. Very dangerous indeed- that's why it was sealed up here, a place that only monsters can enter." Xellos replied, waving his finger tauntingly. "Which brings me to another question. How did you get in here anyway?"

"Amelia found a way in." Lina said, gesturing to the princess.

"It was an accident, actually." Amelia admitted.

"Oh well, no matter. You're here to explore the cave, right?" Xellos said.

"Well, we'll collect some geologic information for Shichiro, and then we'll leave." Zelgadis stated. "We don't have to go looking for this jewel."

"What? Why not?" Lina asked in surprise.

"I know that the person who assigned me this quest would _never_ send me after something that was affiliated with the monster race, especially something so dangerous. This is not the gem we're looking for."

"Aww man, and I was getting my hopes up too..." Lina sighed. "Well, let's get that information and head back to the shop. If we're quick about it, we might actually get back in enough time that we won't have to camp out tonight."

"I'll tag along with the five of you. After all, it is more fun to do research with friends than alone." Xellos said, smiling.

"You do know that we hate you, right?" Pokota asked.

"Oh, but that's what makes it fun!" Xellos exclaimed.

Lina groaned. "Honestly Zel, what have you gotten us into?"

"Me? ME? You're going to blame _ME_ for this? You don't even have to be here, Lina, so you have no right to complain!" Zelgadis scolded.

"Dang it. I thought that you would have forgotten by now. Looks like I've been hanging around Gourry too much." Lina sighed. She turned to Gourry, hitting him on the head. "This is all your fault, jellyfish-brain!"

"How is it my fault?" Gourry asked.

"Because everything is your fault!" Lina exclaimed, walking on further.

"Oh. Okay." Gourry said, following her, the way he always did.

* * *

"Wow! Just look at this place! It's gorgeous!" Amelia exclaimed as they entered a large room. The light from their spells reflected off sparkling stalactites, stalagmites, and columns that intricately decorated the large chamber. "It's no wonder that the monster race decided to hide a jewel down here. With all these pretty cave formations, it would be hard to tell which one is a gemstone."

Zelgadis took notes on their observations. "Judging by the incredible amount of cave features, I'd say that this room is very old. Some of those columns are pretty thick, and it would take several million years _at least_ for something like that to form."

"A-amazing!" Amelia gasped. "How do those things form anyway?"

"They're created by the corrosion of the limestone layer above by carbonic acid contained in the water that we see dripping from the ceiling. The water dissolves the limestone, but when it drips off the ceiling, it leaves behind trace deposits of minerals that slowly form the cave features over thousands and millions of years. Since the cave still has dripping water, that means that the features are still forming and growing larger as we speak." Zelgadis said.

"Wow. So those stalactites and stalagmites are formed drip by drip?" Amelia asked. "That's incredible! Look how huge some of them are! Imagine how long it must have taken them to form!" The girl reached out to touch one in wonder, but Xellos' voice startled her.

"Yes, that's right, Amelia. And did you know that just one simple touch of your finger can cause it to _never_ be able to grow _ever_ again?"

Amelia jerked herself away from the stalagmite quickly. "Wh-what? I didn't know that!" She paused for a moment, and then turned suspiciously at Xellos. "Hey, wait a minute! Zelgadis, is that really true that they'll never grow again if I touch them?"

"Unfortunately, Xellos is right. If you were to touch them, then the oils from your skin would cause them to become dormant and unable to grow any larger." Zel responded, glaring at Xellos.

"Oh. That's too bad." Amelia sighed. "I wish I had gloves like Miss Lina..."

"Well, if you've got the information that the kid wants, then we should go ahead and head back now. I'm starting to get hungry- it's almost dinner time." Lina said, gesturing back the way they had come.

"Oh, I would have liked to look around the cave some more." Amelia said sadly.

"Here, I'm still writing down some observations." Zelgadis offered. "Lina and whoever else wants to can head back the way we came, and you and I can stay here a little bit longer."

"That sounds like a great idea, Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed happily.

"Alright then, I'm out of here! Pokota? Gourry? Xellos? You guys coming?" Lina called.

"Coming, Lina!" Gourry called back.

"Wait up for me!" Pokota said.

"Oh, I think that I'll stay back here a little while longer..." Xellos began, but Lina grabbed him and dragged him with them.

"Cut that out! You're coming with us! Can't you see that those two want to be alone?" Lina whispered fiercely so that Amelia and Zelgadis couldn't hear.

"Oh really? I apologise for interrupting, then. I guess I'll stick with you for now, then, Miss Lina." Xellos replied, pretending to sound guilty. Lina dragged him along with her, Pokota, and Gourry as they left.

"Gosh, I wonder why Miss Lina wanted Xellos to come with them so badly." Amelia pondered.

"Who cares? At least he's not bothering us anymore. I can't stand that guy..." Zel muttered.

"I think that he's gotten a bit nicer since we first met him, though. Don't you?" Amelia asked.

"Maybe..." Zelgadis mumbled, looking around and taking more notes. Amelia wandered around the room some more, looking at all the pretty formations, and naming them after things that they looked like. There was a chandelier, a waterfall, a beehive, and even a turtle!

"You know, Zelgadis..." Amelia began.

"What is it?"

"This kind of reminds me of when we were doing research in the ruins near Seyruun. After all, we're underground and we're studying the things around us. It seems similar, don't you think?" She asked, walking up beside Zelgadis to see what he was writing.

"That's true. I didn't think about it like that, but you're right." Zel responded.

"Hmph! If Miss Lina only knew how much work and dedication was put into our efforts, she wouldn't have accused us of doing other things when we were supposed to be working! Isn't that _right_?" Amelia asked indignantly. Zelgadis laughed, remembering what Lina had said about them the previous day.

"Yes, but you've got to think about it logically, from someone else's point of view. A young princess and a strange-looking travelling swordsman working together nearly 24/7... when you think about it, it's quite scandalous, isn't it?" Zelgadis teased.

Amelia was still serious. "But we were working hard, and they knew it!" She protested.

"Well, it's just a good thing that your dad trusts you so much. He never once indicated that he was worried about you at all. At least, not to my face." Zel sighed.

"He trusts you too, Zelgadis! He has faith in you, I heard him say so himself!" Amelia defended.

"Faith in me? Faith for what?" Zelgadis asked apprehensively.

"Um, er, well... just in general! It just means that he trusts you." Amelia said.

"Uh... alright..." Zelgadis replied, somewhat unsure. "Well... I think I've gotten everything written down if you want to head back to where Lina and the others-"

A sound from farther back in the cave interrupted them. Zelgadis turned quickly in the direction it had come from. "What was that?" He asked.

"I have no idea! Miss Lina and the others went that way!" Amelia replied, pointing in the direction that Lina, Gourry, Pokota, and Xellos had taken.

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer to the pair, who stared in the direction of the sound.

"M-Mister Xellos? Is that you?" Amelia asked uncertainly. She moved closer to Zelgadis, who put his arm around her protectively.

"I'm afraid you have me mistaken, miss." A low voice said. "You do not know who I am. But I know who you are."

The creature began to make its way into the glow from their Lighting spells. Amelia and Zelgadis gasped- it was very obviously a monster.

"Wh-who are you? What are you doing?" Zelgadis demanded.

"I am a monster who has been sent to gather some information. Though I have been given permission to kill the two of you if I so desired. Seems like fun, don't you think?" The monster grinned viciously. He appeared somewhat like a human, but had eyes that glowed red, and was giving off a shadowy aura.

"That doesn't sound like fun at all! ELMIKIA LANCE!" Amelia yelled, thrusting a glowing spell at the monster. He jumped aside and used his magic to blast Amelia against a wall of the cave. She crashed into a large clump of stalagmites, and the impact caused several stalactites to fall on top of her.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis gasped, rushing to the princess' side.

"Zelgadis... look out...!" She choked. Zelgadis turned around quickly to see the monster lunging toward the two of them.

"WINDY SHIELD!" He yelled, putting up a barrier between them and the monster who was pursuing them. "Amelia, are you okay?"

"I... think so..." She began. "But some of those stalactites were sharp..."

Zelgadis picked up the girl and carried her with him in the direction of the corridor that they had come from. "Get back here, humans!" The monster called after them. He was fast, but he couldn't quite match Zelgadis' speed. The chimera could think of nothing but getting the girl in his arms to safety at the moment as he rushed to find their friends.

Lina, Pokota, Gourry, and Xellos were walking, not saying much as they made their way to the place where they had entered the cave. Lina turned around at the sound of hurried footsteps behind them. "Zel? Amelia?" She began, and gasped when she saw them. Zelgadis was running with a panicked expression on his face, a injured Amelia cradled tightly in his arms. "Y-you two! What happened?"

"Xellos!" Zelgadis yelled angrily. "It isn't appreciated when you send your monster friends to attack us like this!"

"You guys got attacked by a monster?" Pokota asked.

"Monster friends? What are you talking about? I'm here alone." Xellos replied.

"Don't play games with us, Xellos! It's not funny and you know it!" Zel hissed.

The sound of running footsteps followed them down the natural corridor, and the monster who had been chasing them stopped in his tracks. "So... this is where you ran off to." He said.

Xellos gasped, and stepped backward slightly. "Y-you..." He murmured, and turned to Zelgadis, flashing him a glare of his deep purple eyes. "This monster is _no_ friend of mine."

"Well if it isn't Xellos..." The monster hissed. "How very... _pleasant _to see you."

"What are you doing here?" Xellos asked, his violet gaze still fixed on the monster.

"Just a little research for my master. That's all. Can I kill those two humans now?"

"No, you may not! I'm afraid that I can't let you do anything, since you are an important piece of evidence for the research that I'm doing!" Xellos shot back, his eyes once again closed playfully.

"I see... then I will have to gain _my_ information by force!" The monster shot a powerful attack at the group, which they attempted to dodge.

"Oh yeah, well try this! FIREBALL!" Lina shot a Fireball through the resulting smoke. It seemed to stun the monster for a moment, and this moment was exactly what Xellos needed to make his move. The trickster priest created an attack that easily pinned his opponent against the wall of the cave passage. Threatening the monster with his signature black cones, Xellos had their opponent cornered.

"Are you satisfied with the information that you have gotten until now? Or would you rather me kill you before you can return to your master?" Xellos asked, eyeing the monster viciously.

"F-fine. I suppose that I could leave for now...You win this time, Xellos." The monster replied, disappearing from sight. Xellos levitated back to the ground, joining the group that was looking at him, surprised.

"So you _did_ know that monster, Xellos!" Zelgadis accused.

"Not closely. He knew me more than I knew him. But I know who he was- or should I say, _is_." Xellos replied.

"What are you talking about?" Lina asked, taking over the conversation from Zel, who was busy casting as many Recovery spells as he could on Amelia.

"You see... I recognised that monster as one of the major servants of Hellmaster Phibrizzo. You remember him, correct?" Xellos asked.

"D-do I _remember _him?" Lina responded. She remembered everything about him- how he had wanted her to cast the Giga Slave in order to destroy the world, how he had nearly killed Gourry...

"Well... you see... that's actually what I was sent to investigate." Xellos said, giving away one of his secrets. "My master, Lord Beastmaster, had a strange feeling that Phibrizzo might still be alive- and still working to destroy the world."

"B-but that's impossible! Phibrizzo was destroyed by the Lord of Nightmares, wasn't he?" Lina protested. "He can't be still alive! He can't!"

"I'm sorry Lina, but you saw his minion attack you just now. With everything my master had heard, this is good enough to be definite proof. Phibrizzo is still alive." Xellos said, staring seriously at Lina.

"I am so lost. What are we talking about? Who is Phibrizzo?" Pokota asked.

"You idiot! Phibrizzo is one of the five monster lords created by Shabranigdo! The last time we met, he tried to kill all of us, and made me use a spell that I never want to use again! It nearly destroyed the world!" Lina hissed at Pokota.

"Destroyed the world? N-no way..." Pokota said. "And you're saying that this guy is still alive?"

"That seems to be the case." Xellos affirmed.

"But it doesn't make sense... just doesn't make sense..." Lina mumbled. "I'm just not sure. I guess I trust you and everything, Xellos, but I kind of want a second opinion. We need to consult someone else about this!"

"Someone else? But Miss Lina, who would know about something like this?" Amelia asked, standing up again with Zelgadis' help.

"Amelia, do you remember how Filia did a lot of research on us before coming to ask us for our help with the prophecy of destruction? She knew about Phibrizzo- though I don't know how much. If anyone would know about this sort of thing, and could be _trusted_," Lina added, glaring directly at Xellos, "it would be Filia."

"Filia? Prophecy of destruction?" Pokota asked, one of Gourry's famous baffled looks on his face.

Lina groaned. "We'll catch you up on the way, stuffed animal. We've got to go pay Filia a visit before we go back to Shichiro's place. Come on." Lina motioned for the others to follow.

"Oh, visiting Filia, eh? This ought to be fun..." Xellos chuckled.

"Xellos! Will you please focus? We have to ask Filia about this! Please, don't get in our way!" Lina hissed at the monster. She thought to herself apprehensively.

_Phibrizzo... alive? Is it possible...? What does this mean for us? For the world? And what is going to happen...?_

* * *

(A/N: And Xellos finally appears, bringing the major conflict along with him! Phibrizzo, still alive? Gasp! Filia will know what to do! –we hope... :3)


	4. 4: Consultation! A new plan?

Okay! Things are beginning to get complicated now! Sounds like fun! :3 And I still don't own Slayers, thanks for asking though.

* * *

**4- Consultation! A new plan?**

"Ah, what a beautiful day!" Filia sighed, walking through the marketplace in the small town that she lived in. She had taken a break from working at the pottery shop to enjoy some of the last days of mild weather before autumn's chill set in. She walked along, seemingly happily, with her faithful assistant Jillas following closely behind. But something was troubling Filia.

"Aye, it's a good day indeed, isn't it Miss Filia?" Jillas agreed. He then seemed to notice the troubled look on his master's face. "Miss Filia? Everything alright?"

Filia snapped out of her daze. "Oh, yes! Of course! I just..." Her voice trailed off. "I feel like I can sense something... some nameless evil... it feels threatening..."

"Ya think it could be that Xellos character? He and his little monster friend have been troubling you for a while now, haven't they?" Jillas asked.

"No." Filia shook her head. "I would sense it if it were Xellos and Lorelei. But this evil is different. It's more powerful, but farther away. I'm not exactly sure what it is, though."

"D-do ya think it could be some sort of threat to the world?" Jillas asked, suddenly frightened.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Jillas! It's probably nothing at all!" Filia explained, trying to calm him. "Say, why don't we head back to the shop now. There may be customers who need us."

"Uh, alright! Got it, boss!" Jillas headed back to the shop. Filia watched him go, deciding that she wouldn't reprimand him for calling her 'boss' this time. She had too much to worry about. She had told Jillas that it was probably nothing to worry about, but that was about as far from the truth as she could have gotten, and she knew it.

_Something is very wrong. _Filia thought to herself as she returned to the shop as well. When she pushed open the door, she gasped. The place was a wreck! There were vases and pots all over the place! None broken, thank goodness, but everything out of order. Jillas was freaking out, and came up to her quickly.

"Miss Filia! None of this if my fault, I swear!" He yelled frantically.

"Wh-what in the world happened here?" Filia asked, aghast.

"Whoops, sorry about that Filia dear." A voice chuckled. Filia turned around violently, grabbing the person by the collar of his shirt.

"Xellos!" She hissed. "You idiot! How dare you just barge into my shop while I'm out and mess up everything? I swear, once I get done with you this time, you'll be so sorry-

"H-hey, Filia, calm down! He's with us!" Another voice called. Filia dropped Xellos and turned around.

"M-Miss Lina!" She gasped, embracing her old friend. Letting go of Lina, she looked around to the other guests in her shop. "Amelia! Oh, and Gourry and Zelgadis too! And..." Filia's gaze shifted to the stuffed animal that was sitting on top of Gourry's head. "Who is this now?"

"Oh, Filia, that's right. You haven't met him yet." Lina said, motioning to Pokota. "Pokota, this is Filia. Filia, this is Pokota. He may not look very threatening, but he has some very powerful magical abilities. He's also the pri-" Pokota jumped down onto Lina's head, cutting her off quickly.

"Er, um, the name is Pokota." He said, reaching his hand out to shake with Filia. "You can just... think of me as an ordinary, puny animal."

Filia blinked, and then reached out to shake Pokota's hand. "An ordinary, puny animal, huh? Well... okay, Mister Pokota."

Lina looked up at the stuffed animal on her head, wondering why he didn't want to introduce himself as the prince of Taforashia. Was he just trying to be humble, or was there something wrong?

"Anyway, welcome to my shop everyone. I haven't seen you in so long- well, except for Xellos, that is..." Filia shot a glare at the monster. "Don't worry about the mess; Jillas will take care of it."

"I will?" Jillas asked, surprised.

"Yes, you will. Meanwhile, I have guests. Won't the five of you make yourselves comfortable?" Filia gestured to a small room in the back of the shop.

"Ahem, I believe that there are _six_ of us." Xellos pointed out.

"_Monsters_ don't count." Filia replied, glaring at him.

"Then what would you call Pokota?" Xellos asked.

"He's a stuffed animal imbued with the soul of a human. That much I can tell. He's nowhere near being a monster like you." Filia shot back.

"Yeah, you tell him Filia!" Lina said.

"Even so, may I still join you?" Xellos asked.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I think that we might actually need Xellos." Zelgadis sighed.

"What do you mean?" Filia asked, getting suspicious of the nature of her friend's visit.

"Well... as much as we like talking with you, Filia, this isn't exactly a 'hi, how's it going?' visit." Lina admitted. "We actually came to talk to you about something important."

Filia looked at Lina with a serious expression on her face. "There... is something evil coming, isn't there?"

Lina and her friends exchanged a glance. "You mean that you knew about it?" Amelia asked timidly.

Filia nodded. "For the past few weeks, I have sensed the growing power of a nameless evil. Something is going to happen, I'm almost sure of it. But I don't know what."

"Neither do we, but we might have some idea." Zelgadis replied.

"Why don't we sit down and talk it over. All of us." Lina said, eyeing Xellos.

"Right. I'll make some tea." Filia nodded. Tea was always helpful to calm their nerves, and it seemed like they would need it.

* * *

Filia nearly choked on the tea she was drinking. "Ph-Phibrizzo? As in Hellmaster Phibrizzo? Impossible! You _destroyed_ him yourself, didn't you? You saw his destruction with your own eyes!"

"Well... actually I never saw him destroyed..." Lina admitted. "The thing is, it wasn't _me_ who destroyed him, it was the Lord of Nightmares."

"The Lord of Nightmares?" Filia gasped.

"N-no way!" Pokota exclaimed. "How did that happen?"

"Well... there was a spell called the Giga Slave... it has the power to destroy the world... and I tried to use it against Phibrizzo, but ended up summoning the Lord of Nightmares instead... I don't know what happened after that, to tell the truth..." Lina mumbled.

"By the time that we all woke up, Phibrizzo was already gone, and the Lord of Nightmares had taken over Lina's body..." Zelgadis continued. "She said that Lina had been consumed by chaos, but Gourry somehow managed to get her back..."

"What? You rescued Lina from the chaos? How in the world did you manage to do that?" Filia breathed, staring at Gourry in disbelief.

"I have no earthly idea." Gourry responded. "I can't remember a thing of what happened."

"Typical Gourry..." Pokota murmured.

"No, it's not that. I can't remember what happened either." Lina defended. "I kind of blacked out once I casted the Giga Slave and nearly destroyed the world."

"Wait, so you came that close to destroying the whole world?" Pokota gasped.

"That 's right, she did." Xellos nodded.

"Why would you do that? If you knew that the spell could destroy the world, then why would you have used it in the first place?" The stuffed animal asked.

"Well... to be honest... Phibrizzo threatened something..._ important_ to me..." Lina murmured.

"What could be so important to you that you would risk the entire world for it? That makes no sense!" Pokota demanded.

Lina clenched her teeth. "You wouldn't understand, stuffed animal!" She cried. "Think about it this way- say that the people of Taforashia were going to be destroyed and there was only one way to save them! You'd try to save them, even if it risked destroying the world, wouldn't you?"

Pokota backed away a little. "I hadn't thought about it like that... I suppose that I would have done the same thing..." He suddenly looked up again. "But what was it that you cared so much about that you would risk the world for it?"

"I..." Lina began, hoping that she wasn't turning red, trying to avoid eye contact with all her friends, especially Gourry. "...that... shouldn't matter right now! Right now we have to worry about the possibility of Phibrizzo still being alive!"

"Lina's right." Zelgadis nodded. "The present situation can't be ignored."

"But how do you know that he's alive?" Filia asked. "This isn't something that can just be guessed about."

"Ask Xellos. He's the one who is convinced that the guy is still alive, not us." Lina responded.

Filia turned to the monster with a suspicious look. "I have no reason to doubt Phibrizzo's existence." Xellos replied, fixing his gaze on Filia. "The research done by my master and myself confirms it. Phibrizzo is still alive, and he is looking for something. That much, we know for sure."

"But what is he looking for?" Amelia asked.

"We are still guessing on that, so I'm afraid that the information must remain confidential. I apologise." Xellos explained.

"I doubt that you're actually sorry." Lina chided. "But if you're so sure about Phibrizzo being alive, then what exactly do you plan on doing about it? You obviously aren't planning to sit by and do nothing, since you seem so interested."

"Ah, well, I've been asked to continue gathering information on the subject. I think that it would be helpful for you to do likewise." Xellos said.

"You mean that we need to try and find out more about this Phibrizzo guy?" Pokota asked.

"How exactly should we do that? We don't even know where to start looking for information." Lina questioned.

"I would simply suggest continuing on with what you were doing before we met. You were looking for a jewel, yes? Then I would simply continue on your quest for that jewel and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious." Xellos said.

"So that means that we can continued with my- _our_ quest." Zelgadis asked, somewhat relieved.

"That's right. In the meantime, I'll try to find out what I can about him as well, and report back to you. After what happened last time your and Phibrizzo's paths crossed, your safety is a priority." Xellos told them.

Filia gasped. "X-Xellos? You're actually helping out Miss Lina and her friends?"

"Yes Filia dear, I am." Xellos smiled teasingly.

Filia didn't even seem to notice the 'dear' that he had added to her name. "Does that mean that you've finally given up your evil ways and joined the side of honesty and righteousness?"

Xellos backed away a few steps. "Well, actually, I, uh..."

"Oh Xellos! I'm so proud! I never knew you had it in you! Maybe now that you've given up your monsterish ways, we can actually be civil to one another for a change!" Filia enthused happily.

"Hold on a second! Actually-" Xellos began to protest, but then suddenly stopped. _Wait, perhaps I could use this situation to my advantage. Filia is a powerful ally, and if she's convinced that I'm on her side, she could very easily be useful to me... _Xellos walked closer to Filia and reached out his hand, which she shook. "Yes, yes, whatever you say, Filia dear." Xellos said, smiling a fake but convincing smile. "Say, could you help me out with some of the information that I'm gathering? It would be very much appreciated, by myself and by the others that are working with us. Isn't that right, Miss Lina?"

Lina scowled. She didn't trust him, and was surprised that Filia did. Filia seemed hesitant. "You really think that I could help protect the world?" She asked.

"Well, you'd be helping protect Miss Lina and the others at the very least." Xellos answered. "You don't have to decide right away whether or not to accompany me. I'll give you some time to think it over-"

"I want to help protect the world from danger! And I want to find out whether you really have given up your evil ways!" Filia exclaimed.

Xellos chuckled. "Oh Filia, you never change." and then added under his breath, "_And neither do I, for your information_."

Lina sighed. "Well, if we're going to be continuing on our search for the jewel, then we really should be heading back to Shichiro's place. If we're not back by tonight, he'll begin to get worried, and it'll take us at least that long, if not longer."

"You're leaving so soon?" Filia asked. "That's unfortunate. But I suppose that we could cover more ground if our two groups split up. You all can continue whatever you were doing, and Xellos and I will do some investigating elsewhere. Jillas will accompany us as well."

"I will?" The fox-man poked his head into the room.

"He will?" Xellos asked.

"Of course he will. Jillas is smart, and could be of much help to us. Right Jillas?" Filia glared at him.

"O-of course boss! Whatever you say, boss!" Jillas exclaimed, snapping to attention.

"Right. And stop calling me 'boss." Filia instructed.

"Yes ma'am, boss!"

Lina sighed. She figured that Xellos was helping them because someone had ordered him to, but that didn't really matter. They had gotten themselves into quite a mess, and it wasn't going to be easy fixing it.

* * *

"You're so late! I was getting worried!" Shichiro exclaimed as the travellers re-entered his house. "Is everything all right? Did the search go well? Did you find anything?"

Lina and her friends glanced at each other. They had agreed on their way back, that it would be best if they didn't tell Shichiro about the confusion with Phibrizzo. It would only scare him, and might unnecessarily endanger his life, if he tried to help them. Stepping forward and handing the boy the notebook in which he had taken the notes on the geologic makeup of the area, Zelgadis spoke up.

"We... didn't find anything. Though we did get some good notes on your cave. It turns out that it doesn't have its own natural entrance, so we made one." He glanced at Amelia. "Anyway, I hope that you'll find the information useful."

Shichiro took the notebook back, flipping through the pages. "This is outstanding, Mister Greywords. I don't think that I could have done it better myself. Your observations were very thorough, and you knew exactly what information to look for. Thank you ever so much."

"It's no problem. You are helping us out, after all." Zel replied. "We've been wondering exactly where we should look next."

"I have the book in the living room, if you would like to search through it some more." Shichiro said, gesturing the group back into his home.

"Oh, and do you happen to have any food around? I'm starving." Lina asked.

Shichiro turned to her and smiled sweetly. "Why, of course, Miss Lina Inverse. I'd be absolutely delighted to get you something to eat."

Lina was too concerned about food to be concerned about Shichiro's behaviour towards her, though Zelgadis and Amelia caught the emotion in his words.

"You're right, Amelia. He definitely has a thing for Lina." Zelgadis whispered into her ear.

"It seems kind of obvious. I'm surprised that Miss Lina- or Mister Gourry- hasn't said anything about it." Amelia whispered back. "Do you think that it was a good thing not to tell him about Phibrizzo?"

"I'm not sure." Zelgadis responded. "I have the feeling that he'll find out eventually, if it takes us a long time to find this jewel. But for right now, it seems best if we don't worry him."

"You're probably right, Zelgadis." Amelia responded. "It would be unjust to worry him over something that doesn't concern him."

* * *

After the travellers had gotten some food in their stomachs, the group joined Shichiro in the living room. There was a couch that was about big enough for three people, and a large chair. Obviously this posed some problems with seating arrangements for a group a six people.

"I'm _not _sitting on the floor!" Lina exclaimed, plopping herself down in the middle of the couch.

"Of course not. We wouldn't do that to you." Shichiro agreed, taking a seat on one side of Lina, sliding somewhat closer to her. Gourry quickly took the seat on the other side of Lina, putting a hand on her shoulder. Lina was trapped between the two of them.

"Um, guys? A little breathing room here?" She growled, pushing their faces away from hers.

"Oh! I apologise, Miss Lina Inverse." Shichiro said.

"S-sorry, Lina!" Gourry exclaimed. His gaze was still focused on Lina, but his eyes were drawn for a second to the expression on Shichiro's face. Shichiro was looking at him with a look that Gourry knew all too well. It was the same way a swordsman would eye a potential opponent, examining his ability, seeing what kind of a threat that he would pose, and trying to formulate a strategy to beat him. This expression lasted just a split second and was replaced with Shichiro's kind smile as he flipped the book open to the bookmarked page, but Gourry couldn't quite shake the fact that the boy had been examining him for some odd reason.

Pokota perched atop Shichiro's head, drawing another smile from the boy, and the cat, Riko, curled up in his lap, underneath the book. Amelia had insisted that Zelgadis take the chair, and had attempted to sit on one of the arms. Sitting on the arms of a chair isn't very comfortable, though, and it wasn't long before Amelia was practically sitting in Zel's lap, an arrangement that neither of them seemed to mind all that much.

"So, I guess we can rule this jewel out." Shichiro said, removing the bookmark and flipping a few pages. "Let's see... oh, here's one that seems to match your description! It is located near a lake in the Kingdom of Iota, supposedly in the ruins of an old castle."

"A lakeside castle in Iota?" Pokota asked curiously. "I think that I've been there before."

"You have?" Lina questioned, looking up at the stuffed animal. "If that's the case, then this might be a good one to search for."

"So, do you think that we should start out for Iota tomorrow?" Gourry asked.

"Well, it's kind of late at the moment," Zelgadis began, shifting a half-asleep Amelia so that her head was resting on his shoulder. "We should probably get some rest in the morning, and head out early afternoon. Does that sound like a good idea?"

"I think that's a good plan. I can accompany you this time, if you would like. I have a few things that need to be done around the shop, though, so..." Shichiro's voice trailed off.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. We'll be fine, really!" Gourry said, suddenly wondering why he had been so quick to speak up. Shichiro looked back at him, and for a moment, Zelgadis thought that the boy would insist on coming, just to spite the swordsman. But Shichiro just smiled instead.

"Well, that's awfully thoughtful of you, Mister Gabriev. Thank you. I am going to get a lot done so that I can come with you the next time, though." Shichiro replied.

"Oh, of course! That's... great!" Gourry replied, smiling back. Shichiro left to go to bed, followed by Lina and Pokota. Gourry turned back to where Zelgadis and Amelia were sitting. "Hey, are you guys coming?" He asked.

"Uh, well..." Zelgadis began. He looked down at Amelia. "Um, Amelia? Hey, Amelia?"

No response. The girl was fast asleep.

"I'm... kind of stuck here..." Zelgadis said, looking up a Gourry helplessly.

"Why don't you just wake her up?" Gourry asked.

"I don't know. That would seem kind of... unjust."

"Oh. Okay. Goodnight, then." Gourry replied, heading upstairs.

Zelgadis watched him go in disbelief. "So you're just going to leave me here, huh? " He muttered, obviously more to himself than to Gourry. "Honestly..." Gently, Zelgadis picked up the sleeping girl and carried her up the stairs. It was the second time that she had fallen asleep next to him in two days. "You've really got to get more rest if you're that tired." He laughed to Amelia, and then left to get some sleep himself.

* * *

_(A/N: This next part contains OCs from my previous fic. If you haven't read Another Adventure, you will probably be somewhat lost. I apologise- but you were warned.)_

Back in the city of Sairaag, at the royal palace, a boy with unruly brown hair held a letter in his hands, reading it for the fourth or fifth time in disbelief. "I wonder how Sylphiel's going to react when she hears about this..." He murmured to himself.

"What was that? How will I react to what?" The purple-haired shrine maiden walked up behind the boy, surprising him. Zander nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. He was easily startled.

"Oh, uh, we got a letter from Lina and Gourry." He said, gesturing at the paper.

"A letter? From Miss Lina and Gourry dear?" Sylphiel asked excitedly. "What does it say?"

Zander didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, so he simply handed the letter to Sylphiel. "Read it for yourself." He said.

Sylphiel looked at the paper curiously, recognising Lina's handwriting.

_Dear Sylphiel and Zander,_

_Thanks so much for taking care of Zara for us these past few weeks. We appreciate it. Unfortunately, due to extenuating circumstances far beyond our control, we will not be returning to Sairaag until further notice. Please don't worry about us, just continue whatever you were doing before. Please take good care of Zara. If anything happens to him while we are gone, I will kill you. Take care._

_Sincerely, _

_Lina Inverse_

_P.S. Gourry says 'hi.'_

Sylphiel wasn't bothered by Lina's threat, though she knew that it was completely plausible considering the red-headed sorceress' feelings for the little boy. Sylphiel was concerned with the fact that the two wouldn't be returning soon. "Poor Zara." She breathed. "These past few days, all he can talk about is how much he misses them, and how excited he is to see them again. He'll be heartbroken when he finds out that they're not coming back soon."

"Yeah, I know." Zander agreed. "And he's not the only one who's going to be disappointed. Josiah's really having some trouble."

"Is Zara being bad?" Sylphiel asked in concern.

"No, it's not Zara, it's his... erm... self-proclaimed best friend." Zander replied, gesturing to the kitchen doors, which held a scene of chaos within them. The dark-haired chef was ranting at a pair of children.

"Get out of my kitchen you filthy monster!" Josiah fumed.

"Hey! I was just trying to make chocolate for my bestest friend in the whole world!" Responded a little girl with wings.

"Well why didn't you follow the recipe in the book?" Josiah demanded.

"Because I already knew how to make chocolates!" Lorelei defended.

"How? Did someone teach you? Who was it?"

"Silly human! My father taught me! He knows_ everything_!" Lorelei stated proudly.

"Well... if he knew everything..." Josiah began, his eye twitching, "he'd know that you're supposed to use _cocoa powder_, not _gunpowder_!"

"Aww..." Lorelei sighed. "But gunpowder makes everything much funner! Right, Zara?" She turned to her four-and-a-half year old friend who was watching the fight from a safe distance, since negative emotions drained his energy.

"Yeah, it sure does!" He grinned.

Josiah turned and banged his head on the wall next to him. "Get it together..." he murmured to himself. "His parents are coming back very soon to get him, and then _she'll_ leave as well..."

Sylphiel and Zander watched the head chef in concern. "I wonder who's going to be more upset to find out that they're not coming, Zara or Josiah?"

"Who knows...?" Was all that Sylphiel replied.

* * *

(A/N: Alright- the war is officially on between Gourry and Shichiro! And Xellos actually turning to the side of good? Not likely. Sorry, Filia. :3)


	5. 5: OldNew Weapon! The replicated sword!

This chapter is kind of early, but whatever. Please enjoy it. And I still do not own Slayers. *Ahem,* on with the story!

* * *

**5- Old/New Weapon! The replicated sword!**

"So Pokota, what were you doing in Iota? You said that you'd been there before." Lina questioned, as they gathered their things. It was late morning, and the group was about to leave to investigate the rumours of a jewel hidden in the ruins of an old castle.

"Oh, well it was back before I met you, when I was searching for a way to remove the seal on Taforashia." Pokota replied. "It was where I made the first replica Sword of Light."

"Really? The first one? What happened to it?" Lina asked.

"I'm not sure. The castle was attacked, and I'm pretty sure that it got destroyed in the process. I was really upset because it was a nearly perfect replica, and I haven't been able to make one that good since then." Pokota responded.

"Gee, you have no luck with those things, huh?" Lina laughed.

"I guess not..." Pokota mumbled, not laughing. "that first sword was so good that it practically _was_ the Sword of Light. I guess it wasn't a Darkstar weapon like the ones that you told me about, but it worked the same way. It was just as powerful and didn't short out like the other ones that I had. I was really disappointed to lose it."

Lina saw that Pokota was quite upset. "W-well, don't worry about it, stuffed animal. I'm sure that everything will work out. We'll find you a new weapon. Don't get so depressed."

Pokota gave Lina a half-smile. "Uh, thanks." He muttered, and left to gather the rest of his things. Lina watched him.

_I wonder if something is bothering him besides his weapon problem... _She thought.

* * *

The Kingdom of Iota was quite close to where Shichiro lived, and Lina was glad that they could walk instead of having to Ray Wing there. She figured that Shichiro must be recommending the gemstones that were supposed to be closer, before sending them after the ones farther away. _Makes sense... _she thought to herself. After all, it would be frustrating to search somewhere far away, and then realise that the gem had been in their own backyard the whole time. Shichiro was a smart young man- unlike the one that was quickly getting on Lina's nerves.

"So, Lina, have you ever been to Iota? What's it like? Is the food good? When are we going to get there?"

Lina's eye twitched. "Gourry... would you please SHUT UP?" She growled. "You've been asking the same questions for the past two hours!"

"Well I wouldn't have to keep asking them if you actually answered." Gourry replied.

"Alright then! In order- no, I have never been to Iota, I have no idea what it's like, I don't know how good the food is, and I have no way of telling how long it is until we get there because Zel is the one with the map!" Lina shouted.

"Lina, you seem really ticked off about something. Are you okay?" Gourry asked,

"You're _bothering_ me, that's all." Lina replied, calming down slightly.

"Sorry." He apologised. "But I just don't have anyone to talk to. Zel and Amelia are having some sort of intelligent conversation that I can't follow, and Pokota is just plain scary. He won't talk at all! When I ask him questions, he only gives one-syllable answers. Besides, you're the most fun to talk to anyway. When you're in a good mood, that is..."

Lina just let him off with a gentle punch on the arm for that. Her mind was on the stuffed animal that was flying with them overhead. "Yeah, I agree with you about Pokota. As much as Zel refuses to admit it, there's definitely something between him and Amelia. So Pokota is now officially the loner of the group. He reminds me so much of Zel for some reason. I wonder what's going on with him..."

"I think he kind of seems depressed about something." Gourry observed. "I guess it's about losing his replica Sword of Light. I remember when I gave up the Sword of Light. I was pretty depressed about it for weeks..."

"You were not. Three days later you'd forgotten about it, and I had to remind you why we were looking for a new weapon." Lina chided. "Though Pokota isn't the type to forget things so easily, he's also not the type to worry over a weapon like that for so long. Sure, he put a lot of effort into making it, but he wasn't as attached to it as you were with your sword. Something besides the sword problem is bothering him. I just wish that I knew what it was that was making him so upset..."

Lina's voice trailed off, and she could feel Gourry staring at her as they walked. He then turned his attention to the sky again, and yelled up. "HEY POKOTA! WHY ARE YOU SO UPSET?"

"G-Gourry!" Lina gasped, pulling on his hair to quiet him.

"Ow! Ow! Lina, cut that out!" Gourry pleaded, pulling his hair back.

"You'd better be glad that the stuffed animal didn't hear you! What were you thinking, being so blunt like that? You're only going to make him worse by doing that!" Lina scolded.

"Well, my mother always said that talking about your feelings makes you feel better. I thought that maybe if Pokota told us what was wrong, it would make it better." Gourry explained.

"Real life doesn't work that way, jellyfish-brain." Lina sighed. "Remember when we went to talk to Filia? We talked to her about Phibrizzo being alive, but that doesn't fix the problem. It's the same with Pokota. I think that if we press him for information, he'll be more reluctant to give it. We've got to figure out some other way to get the information out of him. Maybe some reverse psychology..."

"Reverse what?" Gourry asked.

"Ugh. Never mind. You wouldn't understand..." Lina groaned.

"Uh, okay." Gourry replied.

"Hey! You two! According to the map, we should be arriving at the lake once we get over that hill there!" Zelgadis called, pointing to a nearby ridge.

"Alright!" Lina exclaimed. "And once we get there, we can get some dinner!"

"Yeah! Food!" Gourry agreed.

Zelgadis sighed. "Do those two ever think about anything but food?" He asked.

"I wonder that sometimes myself." Agreed Amelia.

* * *

There was a small town on the opposite side of the lake from the deserted ruins of the large castle. Lina and Gourry promptly found a restaurant where they could get a good dinner. They practically inhaled the entire restaurant, as always. Amelia ate a good dinner- though it was nowhere near what Lina and Gourry ate. Pokota ordered something small, took about two bites, and then spent the remainder of the time moving it around the plate with a fork until Lina and Gourry stole it. Zelgadis watched the whole scene in amusement with his usual cup of coffee.

It was getting dark by the time that they finished, and the group decided to go ahead and search the castle that night.

"Don't you think that we should stay the night in the town and then go search the castle tomorrow?" Amelia asked.

"Nah." Lina answered. "We'll go ahead and search as much of the town as we can before heading back to the town for the night. If we end up getting the whole place searched tonight, then we can head back to Shichiro's place first thing tomorrow. If not, then we can continue our search then. Does that sound good?" Lina asked.

"I guess." Amelia sighed.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me that you're tired! You were the first one up this morning, so it's your own fault!" Lina scolded.

"I'm not tired! Just concerned! It's not easy searching for things in the dark..." Amelia replied.

"Ah, whatever. You're a sorceress. Just use lighting spells. It's pretty helpful, right?" Lina said, heading in the direction of the lake. "So, let's just Ray Wing across the lake! Who wants to race me?" Lina asked.

"I'll race you!" Pokota exclaimed, a competitive look on his face. Lina was surprised that he had suddenly become a bit more social- it was a good thing, though.

"Oh, you'll race me? What, to work off those 12 calories that you consumed at dinner?" Lina teased.

"I ate more than that!" Pokota defended.

"You did not. I ate more of your food than you did." Lina responded. "And Gourry ate more of your food than I did!"

"That's because _you _stole some of _my_ food!" Gourry pointed out to Lina.

"Whatever! Can we just race now? The jewel in that castle is waiting for us to discover it, I just know it!" Lina exclaimed.

"Right behind you!" Pokota called. The two took off across the lake.

"I swear, Miss Lina and Mister Pokota are so hyper-competitive." Amelia sighed, taking off after the two.

"What about me?" Gourry called.

"Honestly, those two are so inconsiderate." Zel sighed, and Gourry had no doubt which two he was talking about. The chimera grabbed his friend's arm, and took off after their companions. "Hold on tight." Zelgadis instructed. "If you slip and fall, I'm not responsible."

"Got it." Gourry replied.

* * *

"I'm sure of it! This is the old castle that I worked in for a long time several years ago!" Pokota exclaimed, examining the ruins.

"So you know this place well?" Lina asked.

"Yeah, I sure do." The stuffed animal answered.

"Then you must know where the jewel is hidden!" Lina exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"Jewel? Oh, well... I might have heard a thing or two about a jewel, but I wasn't interested in it, so I didn't pay any attention to it, unfortunately." Pokota responded. Lina slapped him across the face.

"Useless stuffed animal!" She yelled accusingly. Pokota lightly touched the cheek where he had been slapped. Lina could tell that it stung by the way he recoiled, but the look on his face seemed somewhat satisfied. He couldn't actually be happy that she had slapped him, could he?

Pokota turned his attention back to Lina defensively. "I am not useless-" He seemed to almost choke on the last word, and turned around, putting his hand back up to his face. Lina stared at his odd behaviour.

_There has _got_ to be something deeply, psychologically wrong with that guy. _Lina thought.

She turned to her friends who were now joining them. "Thanks for leaving me behind." Gourry said.

"Well, I was racing, and you would have been a handicap." Lina defended.

"You could have still won, even with a handicap. Because you're just super-awesome like that." Gourry replied proudly.

Lina could feel her face heating up, and tried her best to hide it. It wasn't quite 'beautiful' or 'adorable,' but 'super-awesome' was definitely a start. She cleared her throat, hoping that her blush wasn't apparent in the dark. "Well of course I'm super-awesome! I'm Lina Inverse for pete's sake! I could have totally won even with a handicap! But I just didn't feel like carrying you all the way over the lake!"

"Oh, and you think that I _did_?" Zelgadis asked. "N-no offense..." He quickly added, turning to Gourry.

Gourry sighed dejectedly. "Why am I always such a burden?" He asked.

"You're not a burden, Mister Gourry!" Amelia assured him.

"Is that really true?" He questioned. Lina stepped forward, putting her hand on his shoulder. She felt kind of bad for him, though it pained her to admit it.

"Come on, you know we would have ditched you by now if you really were a burden. But you're helpful. You do, after all, make a great human shield." Lina said reassuringly.

"A human shield, huh? I guess I can live with that..." He sighed, smiling.

"Of course you can!" Lina replied, pulling on his arm. "Now we need to get moving! There's a lot of ground to cover, and very little time to do it in! Pokota! Since you know this place very well, you can go by yourself. Zel and Amelia can search that side of the ruins, and Gourry and I will take this end." She instructed, pointing out the different sides of the castle.

"Right, Miss Lina! We'll do our best!" Amelia said.

"You can count on us." Zelgadis agreed.

"Right. See you guys later." Pokota said, flying off.

"Alrighty then, big guy. Let's get moving! We've got a jewel to find!" Lina said, grabbing Gourry's arm and dragging him with her.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" He assured her, allowing himself to be dragged along.

* * *

The sorceress and the swordsman searched one particular side of the castle ruins for a while, not finding anything of interest. They chatted, mostly about dinner and other food-related things. It seemed as though they had sort of run out of things to talk about, and they were both kind of quiet at the moment. Gourry suddenly broke the silence. "Hey Lina, can I ask you a question?"

That sentence. Lina felt her stomach churn. Gourry would only request permission to ask a question if it was a serious one. "Um, sure... but what is it about?" She wanted to know.

"Well... you know that guy, Shichiro?" Gourry began. Lina could practically feel her heart beating now. What did Gourry want to know about Shichiro? About _her _and Shichiro? Lina wasn't oblivious to the boy's interest in her, and apparently neither was Gourry. Or so she thought...

"Have you ever disliked someone, but couldn't tell _why_ you disliked them?" Gourry finished. Lina caught her breath. What had he asked? "I mean..." Gourry continued. "Shichiro is a really nice guy. He's a good cook, very hospitable, really smart, and eager to help. But for some reason I just can't seem to warm up to him, and I can't figure out why. Do you have any ideas?" He turned to Lina with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Lina was suddenly both overjoyed and distraught that Gourry would seek her as a confidant with his problem. It was nice to think that the swordsman trusted her enough to ask about something like this, but she couldn't answer him. Could it be that Gourry was jealous? Lina didn't want to get her hopes up, but it seemed to be the only logical explanation. After all, why else would Gourry harbour an aversion to such a nice person?

_It couldn't be... could it? Is Gourry really jealous of Shichiro? _Lina wondered to herself. "Well... I..." She began, not sure how to answer. "Maybe he is threatening something that you have. If that is the case, then you need to make sure that you get whatever it is before he does. Right?" Lina was blushing, hoping that she didn't sound like an idiot. Not that Gourry would really care.

"Hmm... I guess I'll think about it. Thanks, Lina. You're always so much help!" The swordsman said happily, smiling at Lina.

She turned around with a forced laugh, still blushing. "Of course I'm helpful. You know me, right?"

"Right." Gourry answered. "So now let's try and find that jewel!"

The two set to work, attempting to uncover some of the items that were buried in the rubble of the old structure. Lina searched one particular place, trying to find anything that was, or could lead them to, the jewel. Her hand struck against something hard and metallic, and she pulled the object loose from the debris around it. A short, surprised gasp escaped her lips as she got a good look at the item in her hands.

"G-Gourry..." She stammered. "Gourry! I did it! I found it!"

* * *

"Found it? Found what? The jewel?" Gourry rushed to Lina's side, trying to get a good look at the object that she held in her hands.

"No..." Lina gasped. "This... is even better... take a look!"

Gourry saw it and nearly fell over backwards. "That's the... that's the... that's the... Sword of Light!" He breathed. "Does it work?"

"I don't know. You tell me." Lina replied, tossing him the sword. Gourry examined it for a moment, testing the familiar feel of the sword in his hands. He held it out defensively, and called out the incantation.

"_Light Come Forth!"_

The blade of powerful, bright energy manifested itself, and Gourry's eyes sparkled in excitement. I was exactly like the sword that he was used to. "Lina, it's exactly the same as the Sword of Light! But how is that possible?"

"Well... I think that it might be one of Pokota's replicas- his first one." Lina replied.

"One of Pokota's replicas? Interesting." Gourry said, still looking at the sword. "Well, he'll be so psyched to get it back, then!"

"Huh? You're going to give it to him? _We_ found it, after all." Lina questioned.

"Lina, he worked hard to make this. If we found it and just kept it to ourselves, then think how it would make Pokota feel. As Amelia would say, it would be unjust."

Lina sighed. She couldn't argue with the swordsman's logic. "I guess you're right..." She gestured for him to follow her. "Come on, we've done enough searching for one night. We'd better go find the others."

"Right!" Gourry agreed, following her. It would be sad to have to give the sword up a second time, but he wouldn't mind. It was, after all, the right thing to do.

* * *

"You want me to _what_?" Gourry asked in disbelief.

"I... want you to keep it." Pokota replied, avoiding eye contact with the swordsman.

"B-but Pokota, this is your replica! You made it! Are you really sure that you want to give it to me?" Gourry asked again, not sure that he wanted to believe it.

"Well..." Pokota began, looking at the sword wistfully, "I think that you would be able to handle it much better than I would, since your family handed down the original sword through the generations. And you really wanted a weapon similar to that. I don't care what kind of weapon that I get, as long as it's powerful enough to... um, as long as it's powerful!"

"Pokota... I don't know what to say..." Gourry breathed, looking at his new sword in awe.

"Um, can I just ask one favour?" Pokota requested.

"Of course! What is it?" Gourry asked.

"If I ever needed to borrow the Sword of Light for a small amount of time, would you let me?"

"Yes! Of course! You can borrow it whenever you like! It was yours to begin with!" Gourry assured him.

"Th-thanks." Pokota replied.

"It looks like you've got your old sword back! Congrats!" Lina said, putting her hand on her companion's shoulder.

"I know!" Gourry agreed. "I almost feel like celebrating!"

"Well then celebrate." Pokota replied. "I don't mind."

Gourry laughed, and picked up Lina, twirling her around several times before she hit him over the head and demanded that he put her down, her face completely red by this point.

"Pokota?" Zelgadis addressed the stuffed animal who was watching the scene, an indefinite expression on his face. "You're acting almost guilty. Did you do something wrong?"

"I... well..." Pokota wasn't sure how to answer Zel's question.

"Let me guess. You had a selfish reason for giving the Sword of Light to Gourry, didn't you? You don't really want the sword, do you?"

Pokota stiffened. "Wh-what are you talking about? Of course I wanted the sword! But I thought that Gourry deserved to have it!"

Zelgadis nodded. "So you don't want the sword, but you're afraid of what must happen if you do get your hands on a powerful weapon. You want to delay it because you're scared."

"I-I am not scared!" Pokota insisted. "You wouldn't know about this anyway! I'm just trying to focus on our quest to find out more about this Phibrizzo guy!"

"Ah, I see. So you're holding out to see if you can achieve the same results from Phibrizzo that you would from a weapon like that, huh?" Zelgadis asked.

"I... I... " Pokota shook his head. "What I want from Phibrizzo is none of your business!"

"Right, right." Zelgadis nodded, but he couldn't help eyeing the stuffed animal suspiciously. If Pokota wanted it so much, then what was he afraid of?

* * *

"H-hey! Where are you going? Just where do you think that you're sneaking off to?"

Filia had woken up in the middle of the night, only to find that Xellos was sneaking off somewhere. Xellos turned his attention to the dragon.

"I'm not sneaking off anywhere." He replied straightforwardly. "I'm leaving."

"L-leaving?" Filia choked. "B-but why? I thought that we were doing research to help save the world!"

Xellos looked into Filia's eyes with his dark purple gaze. "My objective has changed, Miss Filia."

"Your... objective? You mean whatever your master has ordered you to do?" Filia gasped.

"That is correct." Xellos replied.

"B-but... but... I thought that you were helping us search for information because you wanted to help the world! So you were only doing it simply because someone ordered you to?" Filia yelled.

"That is right. And now my orders have changed, Filia _dear_. And I must say that I'm a bit excited. It's been a long time since I was ordered to_ kill_ someone." Xellos replied with a mischievous smile. Filia quickly pulled out her mace.

"Don't you dare call me 'dear!' You're not even fit to be in my presence, you filthy monster! Someone who only helps the world when it suits them is no friend of mine!" Filia screamed.

"Oh my, it's amazing how short our little truce lasted, isn't it?" Xellos laughed. "Farewell, Filia dear. I hope to be seeing you again sometime soon. Please, keep yourself out of this mess. I'd kind of like it if you stayed alive." The monster quickly teleported away, laughing and leaving a distraught Filia to stand there in disbelief.

"Xellos..." She murmured tearfully, "I thought that you had changed... I really thought you had changed..."

* * *

(A/N: Yes! Gourry has the sword back! And Xellos is going to kill someone... oh, this should be interesting. Poor Filia... :3)


	6. 6:Surprise! The antagonist is Xellos?

Alright! I can't believe we're at chapter 6 already! Time flies when you're on Christmas break, doesn't it? Anyway, enjoy! And I still don't own Slayers. What? Were you surprised? I wasn't.

* * *

**6- Surprise! The antagonist is... Xellos?**

"So... it seems that you had no luck in Iota either, is that right?" Shichiro asked, sipping a cup of tea, with Riko curled up in his lap. She was giving Lina a death glare, but the sorceress ignored the cat.

"No luck? What are you talking about?" Lina asked. "Gourry got himself a new sword, and I have this beautiful new necklace! Isn't it great?" Lina gestured to the large, red jewel that hung from a string around her neck.

"Yes, it's gorgeous. It definitely suits you." Shichiro replied with a smile. Lina glanced over at Gourry, who had been daydreaming before, but was suddenly paying close attention to the conversation. Maybe he really was jealous- but it was hard to tell.

"Well, I suppose that Lina has possession of that jewel now, but it's not the one that you're looking for. Correct?" Shichiro continued.

"That's right. Apparently the ruby that was buried under the ruins had no magical abilities whatsoever. It was only said to have magical powers as a way to discourage thieves from taking it."Zel replied.

"That's disappointing." Shichiro said. "But I was recently looking in the book again, and found reports of a jewel that is supposed to be hidden in the mountains, near the cave that you went to last time. It is also similar to your description, as it is said to be able to grant wishes."

"Grant wishes?" Lina exclaimed, her eyes sparkling greedily.

"Wishes, huh?" Pokota murmured thoughtfully. Zelgadis listened to the little animal with interest. He had an odd feeling that he knew what Pokota would wish for...

"Well, let's go get this gem, then!" Lina exclaimed.

"I'm right behind you, Lina!" Gourry added.

"As am I." Shichiro said, smiling at Lina, not even looking in Gourry's direction.

_Oh great... _Lina thought. _I'm going to be stuck between these two the whole time. This will be unpleasant..._

"We just got back, but I suppose that, the faster we get searching for this jewel, the faster we'll find it." Zelgadis commented.

"Yeah! That's the spirit, Zelgadis! Never stop trying!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Ah! Amelia. I almost forgot. A letter came for you yesterday." Shichiro said, handing Amelia an envelope.

"Oh..." Amelia sighed, seeing that the letter was from her father. She had a feeling that he would not be happy with her, and that the letter would be very strict. She looked up at Zelgadis with a helpless expression on her face. Zel felt bad for the girl, but there was nothing that he could do. If Amelia's father ordered her home, then she would have to go home whether she- or Zelgadis- liked it or not. He put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Well, you've got to open the letter sometime. Might as well not keep your dad waiting." Zel sighed.

"R-right." Amelia said, going over to the couch, and opening the letter. She read it once, and then a second time, and then a third and fourth time, each time she looked more stunned than the last.

"Amelia? Are you okay?" Zelgadis asked, walking up to her comfortingly. Amelia looked from the letter, back up to him. Suddenly, she tossed the piece of paper aside, and jumped up, wrapping her arms around Zel in a big hug.

"Oh Zelgadis! He said I can stay! I can stay!" She exclaimed happily.

"Wh-what? Really?" Zel looked at Amelia in disbelief. "What exactly did he say?"

"He said that I could stay and help you guys on your quest- that it would be unjust not to!" Amelia said, full of exuberance.

Zelgadis couldn't believe it. Part of him wondered exactly what Phil was planning, but he decided not to question it. After all, it meant that Amelia would be staying by his side, and he didn't want to test his luck. "That's great! I'm so glad." Zelgadis said simply.

"Lovely, lovely." Lina said, sounding somewhat annoyed. "Now that you know that you can stay, can we get moving please? I want to find this jewel that can apparently grant wishes!"

"Right! I'm coming!" Amelia said, following after the group that was beginning to leave.

* * *

"So, Miss Lina, what would you wish for?" Amelia asked curiously as they walked toward the mountains.

"What would I wish for?" Lina repeated. "Well... I guess I'd wish for treasure, of course!"

Amelia nodded, somewhat disappointed. "I see. For some reason, I thought that it might have something to do with Mister Gourry."

"Excuse me?" Lina coughed. What was Amelia getting at anyway? Why would Lina wish for anything concerning that idiot? It didn't make sense, right? "Why would I wish for something that had to do with Gourry?"

"Oh, I don't know. I was just thinking." Amelia said. "If I had a wish, I'd wish for Zelgadis to find the jewel that he's looking for."

"Why?" Lina asked.

"Because it's the just thing to do!" Amelia replied sternly. "And anyway, he agreed to come back to Seyruun with me once he finds it, so..."

"Oh, I see. So it_ is_ a selfish wish then, isn't it?" Lina teased.

"M-Miss Lina!" Amelia groaned.

"Hey! You two! Pick up the pace!" Pokota called from above them.

"We're coming! We're coming!" Lina sighed. "So what about you, stuffed animal? What would you wish for if you got the chance?"

Pokota scowled. "That should be obvious! The happiness and prosperity of the people of Taforashia, of course!"

"Ugh. Such a humanitarian..." Lina groaned. "What if you had to make wish for yourself? What would you wish for then?"

"That's none of your business!" Pokota called back.

Lina clenched her fist. "Well fine, then! Be that way!" She shot back. "I swear, he's worse than Zel used to be..." She mumbled.

"Hey! Everyone! Keep an eye out for the entrance to a large cave! It should be around here somewhere!" Shichiro yelled from the head of the group, clutching the map in his hands. His loyal pet followed closely behind him.

"If anyone can find the entrance, Amelia can." Zelgadis teased, putting his hand on Amelia's shoulder.

"Ha ha, very funny..." She sighed, but couldn't help smiling. "It's not my fault that I took a wrong step a few days ago."

"I know." Zelgadis replied, playing with Amelia's hair. "Hopefully this one will be much easier to find-"

"Found it!" Gourry called, pointing to a large crevice in the side of the mountain.

"Nice work!" Shichiro congratulated him. "Now we just need to explore it. It isn't supposed to be all that big..."

"Alright! Treasure, here I come!" Lina yelled, taking off toward the cave.

"Miss Lina, please wait up for us!" Amelia called.

* * *

After the first few feet where light could penetrate from the outside, the cave was pitch-black, and Lina had to rely on her lighting spell to see in the darkness. "Miss Lina, this place is really dark." Amelia said, chasing after her companion with a light in her own hand.

"Yeah, I know." Lina replied. "I hope that it's only a bit further, though..."

"Lina, I have a bad feeling about this." Zelgadis said.

"Yeah, maybe we should turn back." Gourry offered.

"I'm not turning back, no matter what gets in my way!" Lina shouted. Suddenly, she was interrupted by a voice from deeper within the cave.

"My, my. Look who it is. Just the people I wanted to see. It's quite a coincidence meeting up with you here- or is it?" The mischievous voice spoke.

Lina gasped. "X-Xellos? What in the world are you doing down here? Where's Filia and Jillas?"

"They're not here." Xellos replied cryptically. "I came alone. You see, I had a change in my orders, and was sent to find you."

"M-Miss Lina Inverse, who is this? Is he a friend of yours?" Shichiro asked, tugging on Lina's shirt sleeve clutching his cat in his arms.

"Sort of..." Lina murmured. "But why were you sent to find us? What were these changed orders?" She didn't mention anything about Filia being disappointed to find out that Xellos had left. Lina had figured that it was only a matter of time before the monster ditched his new dragon partner in favour of something a bit more... mischievous.

"Oh, well I suppose I could give you a bit of information on that. You see, my first priority is to locate and protect an item that is important to the monster race." Xellos replied.

"Th-the monster race?" Shichiro gasped. "Just who is this guy?"

"He's a monster himself." Lina said to Shichiro, forcefully removing the boy's hand from her arm. "So, Xellos, what is this item that's so important to the monsters anyway?"

"That is a secret." Xellos winked.

"Should have seen that one coming." Zelgadis mumbled unhappily.

"But wait, why did you need to come find us?" Amelia asked uncertainly.

"Ah, yes, where you all come in. That brings me to my second objective." Xellos grabbed his staff and held it out towards the group, the jewel on the end glowing with a dark aura.

Xellos smiled maliciously."I have been sent to kill one of you."

* * *

"K-kill one of us?" Lina gasped, backing away from Xellos. "J-just who is it that you want to kill?"

"Does it not matter which one of us you kill, as long as one of us dies?" Zelgadis asked angrily.

"No, no. There is one specific person that I've been sent to kill." Xellos replied, still smiling.

"Who is it then?" Gourry demanded.

"That is a secret of course." Xellos said, waving his finger tauntingly. "You don't think that I'll deny you the pleasure of attempting to dodge my attacks, while trying to figure out which one of you is doomed, do you? Though I think..." He turned to the group with his deep violet gaze staring mercilessly at them. "...that you should know who you are."

Lina gulped and turned to look around at her friends. "If you do know who you are, then you can give yourself up now to avoid hurting others unnecessarily." Xellos continued.

"So... does anyone want to 'fess up?" Shichiro asked, glancing around nervously. "Otherwise we all get attacked..."

"I don't know who Xellos is talking about!" Lina defended.

"Me neither! I can't think of any reason why Xellos would want to kill me!" Gourry agreed.

"I..." Pokota began, and then stepped forward. "Xellos... it's _me _isn't it? You want to kill _me_, don't you? Well... go ahead! I'm right here!"

Lina stared in disbelief at the little animal that was giving himself up to Xellos. What would Pokota have done to incur the wrath of the monsters like this? Did it have anything to do with the way he had been depressed the past week or so?

"Po... Pokota..." She gasped.

Xellos looked at Pokota for a moment, examining him. Then, he reached out his staff, and thrust the small animal aside. "Beep! Wrong answer!" The monster laughed, turning to the rest of the group. "Now, do you have any other guesses before I attack the entire group?"

"Oh! Oh! It's the cat! you want the cat, don't you?" Lina yelled, grabbing Riko out of Shichiro's hands and waving her in front of Xellos.

"R-Riko!" Shichiro gasped.

"Don't make me laugh!" Xellos replied haughtily. "I wouldn't waste my time going after that cat!"

Riko jumped back into Shichiro's arms. Lina and her friends stepped back defensively. "Wh-what do we do? Do we run?" Shichiro asked frantically.

"No, running is no good. Xellos can teleport, so he'd be able to catch up with no matter how fast we went." Lina said. "We can stay here and try to defend ourselves... hopefully we can get away from Xellos... he's really powerful..." Lina murmured.

Xellos stepped forward toward the group, holding his staff threateningly. "So... before I kill the person that I'm after... why don't we have a little fun?"

He took his staff and shot a barrage of spinning, spiralling cones toward the cowering group, who attempted to dodge. Amelia took a hit and was pushed backwards with a scream. Zelgadis rushed to her side quickly, to make sure that she was alright. "Amelia!" He gasped.

Xellos laughed. "Ah, what fun! Now, let's see what happens if I attack _you_!" He turned and shot another barrage of attacks at Lina, Gourry, and Shichiro. The three people fell into a corner, Shichiro furiously clutching his cat, and Gourry with his arm protectively around Lina.

"Now we're through playing around!" Gourry declared, getting up and grabbing his sword. "_Light Come Forth!" _The sword's blade appeared in a flash of bright light. Xellos took a step backward in trepidation.

"The... the Sword of Light? Impossible!"He gasped.

"Guess again!" Gourry exclaimed, lunging at Xellos with his sword drawn. Lina and Shichiro watched in amazement. During times of conflict was when Gourry showed his true intellect and skill. Lina was always amazed by how easily the blonde swordsman could go from being a clumsy idiot to the skilled fighter who was strong enough to defeat even the most powerful foes. He was someone that Lina could always trust to be a excellent protector.

Gourry struck at Xellos several times, but each time Xellos phased away and appeared behind the swordsman tauntingly. Finally, Gourry managed to score a hit against the monster. Xellos spiralled back seemingly in pain, but quickly turned back on his opponent. "Just kidding!" The monster taunted, waving his staff in the air and shooting a beam of dark energy that directly hit its target.

"Gourry!" Lina yelled, seeing the swordsman hit. She jumped to her feet, pursuing the monster that was threatening her dear friend.

Xellos had Gourry cornered against the wall, and was holding the end of his staff threateningly toward the swordsman. "A-are you going to kill me?" Gourry choked.

"Well, you tell me." Xellos replied cryptically. "Do you think that I'm going to kill you? Are you the one that I'm after?"

"I can't... I don't..." Gourry stammered, trying to think. He wondered if he had done anything in his past that would tick Xellos off. He couldn't remember anything...

"Hey! You get away from him!" Lina yelled, coming to the swordsman's defence.

"Oh? And what is to say that I'm not after _you_, Miss Lina? Do you think that maybe cornering him was just a diversion in order to lure you out so that I could kill you?" Xellos asked, turning to Lina.

Lina didn't move. She stared defiantly at Xellos. "You can't kill me." She stated. "Not if I destroy you first!" With her talismans glowing, she began to recite the incantation. "_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."_

"Y-you wouldn't..." Xellos murmured.

"Oh yeah? Try me! DRAGON SLAVE!"

The blast created by Lina's spell shook the entire cave, with a deafening roar. Lina's friends covered their ears, and they joined Lina in looking apprehensively at the place where Xellos had just been standing. The smoke cleared slightly, and they saw Xellos standing in the same place, the same mischievous smile on his face.

"Ahahaha! You thought that a little attack like that would faze me? Think again!" Xellos grinned.

"No way!" Shichiro gasped. "He took a direct hit from a Dragon Slave and wasn't even affected! What kind of person is this?"

Xellos laughed. "I'm glad that you understand my power, _Shichiro._ I guess that I'm going to leave for now, but I'm nowhere near defeated. Until next time, my friends!" Xellos promptly disappeared, leaving Lina and her friends standing there, still unsure of what was going on.

"I... have a bad feeling about this..." Lina murmured.

"That's an understatement!" Zelgadis growled, still clutching Amelia.

"So this guy wants to kill one of us?" Shichiro asked, holding his cat closer to him.

"That's what it seems like..." Lina replied. "I think... that we need to go back to your place and figure things out."

"But Lina, didn't you want to find this jewel?" Gourry asked.

"I think... that our lives are a bit more important at the moment." Lina said, her voice trailing off.

"Lina is right. If Xellos is targeting one of us, we need to figure out who it is, and why." Zelgadis added.

"Then... we're going back to Mister Shichiro's house?" Amelia asked. "After coming all this way?"

"I'm afraid so." Lina nodded.

* * *

"I... I can't believe that I got us all into this mess..." Shichiro sighed, his face in his hands. He was sitting on the couch, beside Lina and Gourry, with Pokota perched atop his head. Zelgadis and Amelia occupied the chair across the room.

"Mister Shichiro, how could you think that any of this is _your _fault?" Amelia asked.

"Well... I was the one who led us into that cave after some rumour of a jewel that probably wasn't even true in the first place..." Shichiro sighed, shaking his head.

"That's no reason to think that you're the one responsible for this." Zelgadis said. "Xellos was probably targeting us from the beginning, and you simply happened to be with us when he chose to attack."

"Well, not necessarily." Lina interjected. "I mean, we can't rule Shichiro out as a possible target, however unlikely it might be."

"Y-you think that he could be targeting me? What would a monster want with me?" Shichiro asked nervously.

"You do have an extensive collection of jewels." Zelgadis offered. "Do you remember Xellos mentioning finding an object that was important to the monster race? It could be that you have that that object in your possession and he wants it from you."

"Well, he doesn't have to _kill_ me for that, does he?" Shichiro was beginning to become frantic.

"Hey! Hey, calm down!" Lina said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I never said that you were the one he wanted! It was just possible! It's more likely that he's after one of us. After all, we have known him for quite a while."

"Well, he's not after Mister Pokota. That we know for sure." Amelia said.

"Huh? What?" Upon hearing his name, Pokota looked up. He hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation.

"He's not after you." Zelgadis said. "But please pay attention. Even if your life isn't in danger, your friends still are in trouble. You've got to stay focused."

"R-right. Sorry..." Pokota murmured.

"Well, Xellos could easily be after me or Gourry." Lina said. "I mean... I've probably done plenty of things in my life to tick off the monster race. And Gourry has that replica Sword of Light. Xellos seemed pretty surprised to see it, but monsters are very good actors. They can fool you into believing just about anything."

"No kidding..." Shichiro mumbled.

"Miss Lina and Mister Gourry very well could be the targets. But what about Zelgadis and me?" Amelia asked.

"That's right." Zelgadis agreed. "While in Seyruun uncovering the ruins, we learned quite a bit about the War of the Monster's Fall. They could be after us for the knowledge that we posses because of that..."

"This is so confusing..." Shichiro said sadly. "I'm not sure what to think..."

"Me neither..." Lina agreed. First they had been worried about finding the particular jewel that Zelgadis was looking for. Then, they had found out about Phibrizzo and been worried about him. But now, it was Xellos that they really needed to be afraid of. What in the world was going to happen next?

Lina dared not ask if things could get any worse.

* * *

(A/N: Xellos acts really evil in this chapter, but he's going to get a bit less serious, so don't worry about him. But who is his target, I wonder...? :3)


	7. 7:Information! The monsters' goal?

Christmas is getting close! Not to mention that the storyline is picking up! And, as you already know, I don't own Slayers. Neither am I a professional writer. So please forgive any errors that I might make. Thank you. :3

* * *

**7- Information! The monsters' goal?**

"You were right, Lord Beastmaster. He is going to be a hard one to kill." Xellos addressed his master. He was giving her updates on how his mission went- unsuccessful to say the least.

"Though it's not so much his personal power at the moment, but the company that he's keeping." Xellos continued. "I think that a different approach may be in order. It will be quite a hassle defeating him on his own, though I have no doubt that I can do it. But if his little 'friends' get in my way, it could be troublesome indeed."

Beastmaster Zelas was silent for a moment, contemplating what her first-in-command had told her. "I see..." She began, "but what of the vessel? Is it safe?"

"As safe as it has ever been... for now anyway." Xellos replied, grinning. However, Zelas was in no mood for him to take her instructions lightly.

"Xellos, listen to me. Killing that person may be important, but not as important as keeping the vessel safe. Understand? If the vessel were to be destroyed, there would be no purpose to killing him. Remember that."

"R-right, Lord Beastmaster." Xellos replied, shrinking back slightly at his master's harsh tone. "I will return to my mission at once.

"Good." She replied simply. "Oh, and Xellos?"

"What is it, Master?"

"_Please_... stop playing with that dragon." Zelas eyed Xellos critically.

"P-playing?" Xellos spluttered. "I assure you, I do not _play _with dragons!"

"You do, and we both know it." Zelas replied strictly. "She distracts you, Xellos. I don't like that. If you can't focus on your mission around her, stay away from her."

"She does not... _distract_ me..." Xellos mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Oh! I mean, yes ma'am, Lord Beastmaster! I'll get on it right away!" Xellos replied, snapping to attention. He turned and phased away to continue his mission. Zelas watched him go.

"Remember Xellos, we can't do anything to endanger the vessel. It is crucial if the monster race wants to finally destroy the world." She murmured, though her servant was already long gone.

* * *

Lina yawned and stretched her arms. She hadn't slept very well that night, and her neck was sore. She glanced over to the bed beside hers, where Amelia was still sleeping fitfully. Lina figured that it would be rude to wake the girl, after all, they had quite a stressful day yesterday. Lina couldn't wrap her mind around it. Xellos, targeting them? They had fought alongside him a few times, and also against him a few times. But never had he taken it upon himself to kill one of them. Sure, he had used Filia as a hostage when they were trying to get the final Dark Star Weapon, and Lina always knew that he would try to kill them if they were to get in his way. But for Xellos to actually target them was a new idea to Lina. She couldn't figure out just what one of them could have done to attract such attention from the monster race. And she couldn't figure out which one of them could have done it.

_Pokota would be my first guess, the way he's been so secretive recently. But Xellos said that he wasn't after Pokota. If Xellos was after Zel and Amelia, then he would probably be targeting both of them together. Xellos said that he was only after one person. So that leaves me, Gourry, and Shichiro..._Lina sighed. Just thinking about it wasn't going to get them anywhere. They had to take action and figure out what was going on.

Lina got up and walked down the hallway, toward the other guest room. She gave a slight knock, and, hearing no response, she cracked the door open slightly. All the people in the room were still asleep. Pokota was curled up at the foot of the bed where Gourry was sprawled out. They were both fast asleep, probably still tired from yesterday. The sorceress grinned. She figured that those two could probably sleep through anything. Lina glanced over to the other bed where Zelgadis was supposed to be, but she didn't-

"Lina? What are you doing?"

"Ah!" Lina nearly jumped at the sound of the voice behind her. "Zel! Don't do that! Don't you know that it's rude to sneak up on people like that?"

"I didn't sneak up on you." Zelgadis replied calmly. "You were just so engrossed in your thoughts that you didn't notice me. I wonder how Gourry would react if he found out that you were so intently spying on him while he was asleep..."

"S-spying on him? I was _not_!" Lina defended, her face turning red. "I was looking for you guys to see if you were awake! And who's to say that you weren't just in our room, hovering over Amelia like you always are?"

"Um, because I came from the _other direction_." Zelgadis replied. "And I am _not _always hovering over Amelia."

"Yes you are."

"No, I am not."

"Yes you are!"

"No, I am not! You're just being immature!"

"Yes. You. Aaaaare~"

"Lina! I am NOT!"

"Not what, Zelgadis?"

The sorceress and the chimera turned around at the new voice that had interrupted their conversation. "Oh! A-Amelia!" Zelgadis exclaimed, blushing slightly. "It was nothing. We weren't-"

"I was talking about how Zel is always hovering over you." Lina said, and Zel gave her a punch on the arm, making her flinch.

Amelia looked concerned. "Well... I wouldn't call it 'hovering'... that sounds unjust... more like... always being there for me when I need him!" She finished excitedly.

"Hovering~" Lina sang.

"Miss Lina, that's not-"

"What is all the commotion out here?" Pokota asked, opening the door and rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Pokota! Zel is always hovering over Amelia!" Lina whined, sounding as if she was a five-year-old child telling a parent about something bad that a sibling did.

"Lina, SHUT UP!" Zelgadis yelled, grabbing Lina and pulling her back.

"Well, could you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!" Gourry called from inside the room.

"Sorry!" Lina replied. Zel pushed her out of the way, glaring at her.

"Gourry! Lina was spying on you while you were asleep!" He called, sounding a bit more mature than Lina had.

"Oh, okay. Good for her." Gourry yawned, already half-asleep again.

"Wh-what? Hey! I was not, I swear!" Lina yelled, flailing her arms. "I'm going to get you for this, Zel! You hear me-"

"Um, excuse me. Is something wrong?"

Lina and her friends turned around to see Shichiro standing at the top of the staircase, looking at the group curiously.

"Uh, no. Nothing's wrong." Lina replied. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just came up here to wake you up and tell you that breakfast is ready, though it seems that most of you are already awake." Shichiro responded.

"Breakfast? Did someone say breakfast?" Gourry was awake and at the door in a split second.

"Uh, make that all of you." Shichiro corrected. "You all can get dressed now if you'd like, and I'll be waiting for you downstairs." The boy retreated down the steps, followed by Riko.

"Alright! Breakfast time!" Lina exclaimed happily.

"Yeah!" Gourry agreed.

Zelgadis frowned at the two of them. "Have the two of you completely forgotten what happened yesterday? You don't seem the least bit worried."

"We remember." Lina said. "We just can't think seriously on empty stomachs, that's all."

"Y-yeah! That's right!" Gourry added.

Zelgadis sighed. "Whatever."

Gourry bent down and whispered in Lina's ear. "Um, Lina? What exactly _did_ happen yesterday?"

"Idiot!" Lina hit Gourry over the head and returned to her room.

"H-hey, what did I do wrong?" Gourry asked, but he got no response.

Amelia and Zelgadis watched the confusion. "Uh, Zelgadis?" Amelia murmured. "The way that you handled that argument with Lina was rather... immature."

"I know. I'm sorry." Zelgadis apologised, blushing slightly. "I know that it was unjust, but I just couldn't help-"

"Oh, I just said that it was immature. I_ never_ said that Miss Lina didn't deserve it. Isn't she always making fun of you?" Amelia pointed out.

Zelgadis smiled. "Oh, Amelia." He sighed, giving her a small hug and returning to the bedroom that he shared with Pokota and Gourry. Amelia also left to get ready for breakfast.

* * *

"The way I see it, the most probable target for Xellos would be me." Lina said. They had finished eating breakfast and were sitting in the living room again, talking things over.

"Y-you? How do you figure that?" Gourry asked, a look of fear in his eyes.

"Well, we already know that he's not after Pokota. And he said that he was only after one target, so it probably wouldn't be Amelia or Zel, because he would attack them together." Lina explained. Amelia and Zelgadis exchanged a relieved, but still somewhat worried glance. "That leaves me, Gourry, and Shichiro. There's not enough evidence to suggest that Xellos has any reason to target Shichiro, right?" Shichiro shook his head in response. "So, the only reason that he would attack Gourry is for the Sword of Light, and it's a replica anyway, so Xellos probably wouldn't want it. That just leaves... me."

The group stared at Lina apprehensively. "B-but Miss Lina, what would you have done to incur the wrath of the monster race like this?" Amelia asked.

"A lot of things, actually." Lina replied. "To tell the truth, I can't even name all the things that I've done that would probably tick off the monster race. Xellos could have several reasons for wanting me dead."

"But what about this item that is apparently so important to the monster race?" Pokota asked. "If Xellos is after you, then how does this item fit into everything?"

"I... don't know... it may not even have anything to do with us. Xellos did say that it was a different objective, right? So this item may be totally unrelated to us at all." Lina replied.

"Well, we're not going to get anywhere by just sitting around and talking about it!" Gourry exclaimed, jumping up. "If Xellos is after us, then he could attack us anywhere, even here in Shichiro's house!"

"M-My house?" Shichiro gasped. "Don't let that monster into my house!"

"Hey! Don't worry! We won't!" Lina replied, trying to calm Shichiro down. "Gee, he got really worked up."

"Well, they say a man's home is his fortress. Or something like that." Amelia murmured to Lina.

"Yeah," Lina whispered back, "but I don't really think that you can call him a man yet."

"Huh?" Shichiro looked up at the two girls.

"Oh, uh... nothing! N-nothing!" Lina stammered. "We're just going to help you protect your house! That's all!"

"Oh. Okay." Shichiro smiled at Lina. "Thanks, Miss Lina Inverse. I knew that I could count on you."

Lina paused. The way that Shichiro's golden eyes sparkled warmly at her caught her off guard. This was the person that she had just put down, and yet he seemed so trusting of her. She couldn't let Xellos wreck the boy's house now. Shichiro saw Lina's gaze at him soften, and reached out to clasp her hands. "I'll also do everything in my power to make sure that you're not harmed in any way. I won't let that man get his hands on you, I promise."

Lina flushed as she felt his hands tightening around hers. She suddenly became sorry about what she had said earlier- he had said before that he was sixteen, didn't he? And he definitely acted older than he appeared. Perhaps, if you looked past his stature, he really would be a kind, honest, wonderful person to be with. And he really seemed to like her. Lina's heart went out to the boy.

But, unfortunately for him, she already _had_ a protector.

"Shichiro...I..." She began, pulling her hands gently out of his grip. "...th-thanks a lot. That's really nice of you to say... but please... don't endanger yourself for my sake, alright?"

Shichiro's expression softened. "Right. Thank you for your help, Miss Lina Inverse. You really are a good person."

Lina didn't know how to respond to that, and felt awkward just standing there, especially after what had just happened. She tried to lighten the mood, and swung her arm around Amelia. "Well, we try to be good people and fight for Justice! Right, Amelia?"

Amelia had seen everything that had just gone on between Lina and Shichiro, and also felt a bit sorry for the boy. "Um, that's right! Justice will always win in the end!" Amelia exclaimed, a smile on her face.

"So... what happens now?" Pokota asked.

"I'm... not sure, actually." Zelgadis replied. "I guess we have no way of knowing where Xellos is, so we can't do anything but wait for him to make the next move..."

"That sounds dreadful..." Shichiro said.

"Well, we could lighten the mood a little bit." Amelia offered, trying to cheer everyone up. "Maybe we could play a game or something."

"A game?" Pokota asked.

"Yeah, let's see..." Amelia thought for a moment. "What games do you all like?"

"Oh, well _I_ always enjoy a good game of checkers now and again. What do you say we play a few rounds of that?"

...

"Huh? What's wrong? Why does everyone suddenly look so shocked? What about our game of checkers?" Xellos asked pleasantly.

"Y-you..." Shichiro began, stepping back a little.

"Aw, you're not afraid of me, are you? Pity." Xellos sighed. "I was hoping that we could have a little fun today. I have good timing, right?"

"Impeccable." Lina shot back sarcastically.

"That's good. I always like showing up on time to events." Xellos smiled. "Now then... I don't want to rain morbidity on our little party, but I do feel the need to remind you that someone is going to have to die."

"Of course..." Pokota growled. "And apparently it's not me."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that's right. You're not the one I'm after." Xellos said teasingly.

"You guys! We've got to get Xellos out of Shichiro's house!" Lina whispered to her friends. "He wants me, so I'll lure him out and try to fend him off! Watch my back, alright?"

"Got it!" Amelia exclaimed.

"You can count on us." Zelgadis added.

"Lina, I will _always_ protect you. Remember that." Gourry said. Lina noted the emphasis that he put on his words, and was almost scared by it.

"R-right. Thanks." Lina replied. She made a dash out the front door, yelling at Xellos. "Hey, monster! Come follow me, why don't you? Unless you're scared!"

"Scared? Of you? Don't flatter yourself, Miss Lina!" Xellos laughed, following Lina. "If you want to be so conceited, then I can play with you a bit before pursuing my real target!"

Lina gasped. His real target? She wasn't it? But who was? What exactly had she figured wrong? Could it really be Amelia or Zel or even Gourry? Could Shichiro somehow be involved in it? Lina couldn't understand. All she did was run as fast as she could to get Xellos away from Shichiro's house the way she had promised.

"Lina!" Gourry called, watching her run.

"M-Miss Lina Inverse!" Shichiro called.

The two stood and watched her run, neither of them thinking about anything but the person that had just run off.

* * *

Lina ran farther and farther into a forested area, hoping that Xellos was following after her. She glanced back, but didn't see anyone. Stopping to rest, she put her hand up against a tree.

"Where did Xellos go?" She wondered out loud to herself.

"Right here, Miss Lina." Xellos appeared behind her. Lina turned around quickly and shot a flare arrow at him, but he dodged easily. "Haha~ Is that all you've got? Funny!" Xellos laughed.

"Xellos! If you're not after me, then who are you after?" Lina demanded.

"That is a secret, of course. You knew that." Xellos said tauntingly.

"Well, if it's not me, and it's not Pokota, then it must be either Amelia, Zel, Gourry, or Shichiro." Lina figured. "I doubt that you would target Zel or Amelia separately for any reason, so neither of them would be your targets. Correct?"

"Maybe." Xellos said, grinning at Lina.

"That leaves Gourry and Shichiro. I can't think of a reason for you to attack either of them, but I know the least about Shichiro, so maybe..." Lina looked up and her crimson eyes met Xellos' violet. "You... you're after Shichiro? But why?"

Xellos laughed. "You're good at figuring out things, Miss Lina. But my reasons for pursuing Shichiro's life are also confidential. In other words..." He closed his eyes again, putting his finger to his lips. "...it's a secret."

"DARN IT, XELLOS!" Lina yelled, charging at the monster with a powerful Elmikia Lance. Xellos dodged back and forth as Lina tried unsuccessfully to attack him. She couldn't score a hit, and was fearfully waiting for him to strike back at her, but he didn't.

"Oh my! What's wrong, Miss Lina? Not getting tired, are you? That's a shame. You're pretty fun to play with." Xellos grinned.

"Fun, huh?" Lina asked. "Not as much fun as a certain dragon, though, right?"

"I do _not_ play with her!" Xellos whined. "Quit bringing that up!"

"Wha?" Lina was taken by surprise at the immaturity in Xellos' voice. She suddenly remembered an argument that she had made this morning, and decided to use that experience to her advantage. "You _do_ play with her!" Lina teased.

"Do _not_!" Xellos shot back.

"Do_ too_!" Lina yelled, even more tauntingly.

"Do not, do not, do NOT!" Xellos defended, flailing his arms around.

"Do. Too." Lina smirked.

"Why you little-" Xellos drew his staff, and was about to fire a powerful attack at the sorceress. Lina attempted to shield herself from the attack, but it was not necessary. Xellos stopped just as he was about to fire the attack. Lina gasped, watching him lower his staff submissively. Xellos glared at her.

"You're off the hook for now- Master's orders. But don't think that I'm finished with you, Miss Lina." Xellos disappeared, leaving Lina where she stood.

"Wh-what was that all about?" She wondered out loud. She noticed that she could still sense Xellos' presence, and decided to follow it. "He can't be all that far away! I've got to find out what that monster is up to!"

* * *

Lina heard Xellos' voice and the voice of someone else that she did not recognise. She crouched behind a tree, trying to pay attention to the conversation. Xellos was the only one there, so they must be communicating telepathically. But who was he talking to?

"...can't believe it, Xellos. Even when you're not around her, that annoying dragon has you distracted." The deep, female voice said. Lina decided that it must be his master- Beastmaster Zelas.

"It was Miss Lina who distracted me, not Filia!" Xellos defended. "And anyway, I said I was sorry!"

"Sorry is not sufficient, Xellos, especially considering what you were doing. Remember that the boy is your target and no one else. Do I make myself clear?" Zelas instructed.

"..."

"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, XELLOS?"

"...yes ma'am..."

Lina tried her best not to laugh. She had really gotten Xellos upset, and now he was getting chewed out for it. Served him right for all the trouble that he had caused!

"But anyway..." Zelas continued. "Tell me what more you have learned about the vessel."

Lina listened intently. A vessel? Could that be the item that was so important to the monster race, that Xellos had said he was instructed to protect?

"Ah, yes. The vessel that can host the spirit of the Lord of Nightmares herself. How could have I forgotten?" Xellos replied.

Lina had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from gasping. A vessel that could host the spirit of the Lord of Nightmares? Impossible! It couldn't be... could it?

"That's right, Xellos. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but according to my knowledge..." Zelas began. "... in order for everything to work properly, the human affiliated with the vessel must die."

Lina put her hand on the tree to steady herself. A vessel for the Lord of Nightmares? And the human that possessed it must... _die_?

"No way..." Lina gasped. "...it couldn't be...Shichiro..."

* * *

(A/N: And so, we finally have Xellos, Phibrizzo, and L-sama involved! Gasp! This is some crazy stuff! I'm having fun with it! *laugh* :3)


	8. 8: Sacrifice! We're on the run now?

And thus, we come to chapter 8. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! And no, I still don't own Slayers. I'm just a fan... writing some fiction... Enjoy.

* * *

**8- Sacrifice! We're on the run now?**

"That's right, Xellos. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but according to my knowledge..." Zelas began. "... in order for everything to work properly, the human affiliated with the vessel must die."

Lina put her hand on the tree to steady herself. A vessel for the Lord of Nightmares? And the human that possessed it must... die?

"No way..." Lina gasped. "...it couldn't be...Shichiro..." She paused, hearing Xellos speaking.

"Well, not necessarily. I mean, he doesn't _technically_ have to die, but he needs to come pretty close, and I figure that it's the monsters' best bet just to go ahead and kill him when the time comes, that way we are assured to get the results that we seek- in other words, the total destruction of the world at the hands of the Lord of Nightmares, courtesy of the monster race of course."

Lina's grip on the tree tightened. So they didn't _need _to kill him, but they were going to do it anyway? Unthinkable! But, then again, they were monsters. They were trying to destroy the whole world by incarnating the Lord of Nightmares. What did they care about one particular human life?

"Alright then, Xellos, please continue with your mission. Remember to protect the vessel at all costs, no matter what happens, and don't let it fall into the wrong hands." Zelas instructed.

"Yes ma'am, Lord Beastmaster."

"...and Xellos?"

"I know, I know." Xellos sighed. "Stay away from dragons."

"Good." Zelas said contentedly. "Inform me of any progress in your mission. Farewell."

The voice disappeared, and Xellos was standing there alone. Or, at least, he thought he was alone. Suddenly, he felt as if someone was watching him. He turned around to where he though he sensed the presence, but no one was there. "Hmm... that's odd... I could have sworn that there was someone there just a second ago..." He murmured.

* * *

Lina was already running as fast as she could to get away from there. She had only heard a small portion of the conversation, but it was enough.

The monsters had found a vessel in which to host the spirit of the Lord of Nightmares.

And in order for it to work, the human that possessed it must die.

Lina could feel herself panicking, but tried to will herself to remain calm. She rushed blindly back toward where Shichiro's house was, not noticing a person in her path. She ran straight into them, but luckily they saw her and were ready to catch her.

"L-Lina! You're okay! Where's Xellos? What happened?"

Lina felt the familiar arms around her, and didn't try to pull away. "G-Gourry!" She yelled. "The monsters! Th-they... it's... there's..." She couldn't figure out how to begin a sentence, and felt stupid for trying. But she felt comfortable with Gourry and took a deep breath to continue. "Gourry..." She finally began.

"Yeah, what is it?" Gourry replied, nervously anticipating what she was going to say next.

"W-we... have to find Shichiro!" Lina gasped.

He didn't know exactly what kind of answer he was hoping for, but whatever it was, it was definitely not _that_.

"Uh, right. Of course." He responded simply. The disappointment was apparent in his voice, and Lina realised the reason. She didn't want Gourry to be distracted during a critical time such as this. Lina wrapped her arms around him and tried to explain better.

"No... it's just... his life... _the world_...it's in danger..." Lina had trouble stringing whole sentences together for some reason.

"What? The world? What are you going on about?" Gourry asked, disturbed at Lina's panic. She was definitely worried about something.

"There's not much time to explain! We need to get back to where everyone is so that we can all discuss this!" Lina replied, grabbing Gourry's hand and pulling him in the direction of Shichiro's house.

"I-I'm coming! I'm coming!" Gourry yelled as he was forcefully dragged. He didn't really mind it, though. After all, Lina was alright, and that was what mattered. They could worry about the world later.

* * *

"Miss Lina! Mister Gourry!" Amelia exclaimed, seeing her friends returning. "They've come back!"

The sorceress was still dragging her swordsman companion behind her, in an attempt to get back to the house as quickly as possible. Gourry figured that it was probably for the feeling of safety that being inside would give them, but Lina knew better. They were not safe anywhere- that's why she was in a hurry.

"Lina! What happened? Where's Xellos?" Zelgadis asked.

"It's really long and complicated..." Lina sighed, catching her breath and finally letting go of Gourry's hand.

"Wh-what do you mean? Are you alright?" Shichiro asked, walking up to her, a concerned expression on his face.

"Shichiro!" She exclaimed, putting her hands on his shoulders. He nearly jumped in surprise. "Listen, Shichiro- do you have any gemstones in your collection that are... strange or unusual in any way?"

Shichiro thought about the question for a moment. "Strange or unusual...? Miss Lina Inverse, I collect these gems for the simple reason that all of them are strange and unusual. That's what makes them unique. If you ask me if any of them are strange or unusual, I'll tell you that they _all_ are." He replied.

Lina shook her head. "No, that's not what I..." She paused and sighed. "Maybe I ought to tell you a little bit about the situation first."

"That would be nice." Zelgadis said, a twinge of sarcasm in his voice.

"Do you want to go back to the living room, Miss Lina Inverse?" Shichiro asked. "You look as though you might faint."

"I...I'm fine." Lina choked. "But if you want to go inside, that's good."

"Here." Shichiro put his arm around Lina supportingly, helping her walk, even though it wasn't necessary. "I'll make some tea. That should calm everyone down a bit, I think."

"There's no time for tea!" Lina exclaimed.

"Miss Lina Inverse, there is always time for tea." Shichiro replied seriously. The look in his eyes quickly changed to worry. "Please, just calm down."

Lina realised that the boy was right. They would never get anything accomplished if she was all worked up the way she was. She needed to be calm and have her wits about her to figure out what their next move should be.

Regaining her composure, Lina took a place on the couch in the living room. Gourry quickly came to sit beside her, and Amelia changed the previous seating arrangement by sitting on the other side of Lina. Zelgadis still took the chair on the opposite side of the room, and Pokota was sitting on Amelia's head this time. Shichiro brought in some tea, and handed it to everyone. He sat on the floor with a cup of his own, listening intently to the conversation.

"Alright, listen. This is really important." Lina said. "I followed Xellos and overheard him talking to his master. I heard what the monsters are planning."

"Th-the monsters are planning something?" Amelia gasped.

"Yeah. It's something big too." Lina nodded. "Apparently, they've... they've found a vessel that can host the spirit of the Lord of Nightmares."

The entire room fell deathly quiet. No one knew what to say. They were all shocked, mostly wondering whether Lina was telling them the truth. They didn't doubt her, but it was definitely hard to believe. Shichiro was the first to speak up.

"Th-the Lord of Nightmares...? As in_ THE_ Lord of Nightmares, the mother of all things? That Lord of Nightmares?" He gasped.

Lina smacked him on the forehead. "No, idiot! The _other_ Lord of Nightmares! YES, _THAT_ LORD OF NIGHTMARES! What other Lord of Nightmares is there?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. I didn't know of any, but..." Shichiro rubbed his head where Lina had hit it.

"But Lina, wait!" Gourry said, a look of defiant incomprehension on his face. "Why would monster want this vessel thingy in the first place?"

"They... want to use it to incarnate the Lord of Nightmares in order to destroy the world." Lina replied seriously.

"Oh." Gourry responded, sounding somewhat disappointed with Lina's answer.

"And apparently, Xellos isn't targeting me... he's targeting Shichiro." Lina continued.

"M-me?" Shichiro gasped. "B-but what does he want with me?"

"Well..." Lina began. "They said that, in order for the vessel to work, the human who possesses it must die- or come pretty close, though they were planning on killing him anyway. I'm guessing that the human they're referring to is you, Shichiro. After all, Xellos did tell me that you are the one he's after."

The look of pure shock on Shichiro's face was all too apparent. "I-impossible! You think that I could actually have something like that in my collection of gems?"

"That seems to be the most likely explanation." Zelgadis said.

"How horrible!" Amelia exclaimed. "They don't have to kill Mister Shichiro, but they're trying to do it anyway! That is absolutely the epitome of injustice!"

"I thought the same thing." Lina replied. "But you have to remember that they're trying to destroy the world. One human life doesn't really make all that much difference to them."

"That's sick." Pokota said, a dark look on his face. "Killing people who have no desire to die. Amelia's right- that's definitely unjust, and totally unfair."

"You guys, we have to remember that this is the monster race that we're talking about." Zelgadis pointed out.

"Yeah, that's right. They're not ones to care about justice and fairness." Lina agreed.

"So what do we do?" Amelia asked.

"We've got to try and find the vessel before they do." Lina replied. "Shichiro, is your whole gem collection here in this house?"

"No." Shichiro shook his head. "Actually, the majority of it is in a chalet that I built in the mountains specifically for that purpose."

"I see." Lina nodded her head. "Do you think that any of the gems you have here could be the one that the monsters are after?"

"Probably not..." Shichiro said. "I mean, if it was here, wouldn't that Xellos guy have taken it while he was attacking us here instead of going after you?"

"That's a good thought." Lina observed. "So the object that they're looking for must be in your chalet. Which means that it's probably somewhat safe for the time being..."

"But if we stay here in this house, we'll only lead the monsters back here to do more destruction." Zelgadis pointed out.

"Destruction? By monsters? That's not good!" Shichiro exclaimed.

"Yeah, you said it." Pokota agreed forlornly.

"I guess that means that we need to get out of here!" Lina decided.

"And go where?" Gourry asked. "I'm not really following this all that well."

"To Shichiro's chalet, jellyfish-brain." Lina replied, knocking him over the head. "We've got to find that thing that the monsters are looking for so that we can keep them from getting their hands on it! And we need to protect Shichiro!"

"Oh. Right. I knew that." Gourry replied, rubbing his head with a somewhat satisfied look on his face.

"So... the Lord of Nightmares is really dangerous..." Pokota murmured.

"You're not kidding!" Lina growled. "We were apparently forced to deal with the Lord of Nightmares once when I cast the Giga Slave. I don't even hardly remember what happened, but I'm still afraid of her..."

"The Giga Slave... wait!" Pokota jumped up. "Isn't that the spell you used to save Taforashia?" Lina whacked the stuffed animal over the head.

"You _just now_ realised that?" She exclaimed. "We've _talked _about this!"

"I... I..." Pokota scratched his head. "Well... you were talking about using it against that Phibrizzo guy... and about it destroying the world... I guess since Taforashia was saved, I just didn't think about..."

"Honestly..." Lina tossed the stuffed animal aside.

"Miss Lina, does that mean that we need to leave_ now_?" Amelia asked.

"I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Xellos could attack at any moment, and from what happened this morning, you know that we're not even safe inside the house." Lina replied sternly. "I guess we should pack up our things..."

"We don't even get lunch?" Gourry asked.

"Now is not the time to think about lunch!" Lina growled. "We'll eat something soon- but right now we've got to get out of here!"

"Hey, wait! It's Shichiro's house! Shouldn't he have a say as to whether or not to leave it?" Pokota asked.

"Oh, don't worry about me at all! I trust Miss Lina Inverse's judgement. If she says that we need to get out of here, or risk being attacked by Xellos again, then I'll do whatever she tells me!" Shichiro exclaimed.

"Thanks, Shichiro." Lina said, nodding at him. "Listen, get everything you want to take together so that we can leave as soon as possible... oh, please tell me you're not taking that cat."

Shichiro gave Lina an indignant look, holding the cat in his arms. "Riko is my companion, Miss Lina Inverse. I'm not leaving her." Lina couldn't blame Shichiro for not wanting to abandon his friend, but the smirk that Riko was giving her made the sorceress very angry.

_I hate that stupid cat! _Lina thought to herself storming off to gather the rest of her things.

Zelgadis watched the scene, sighing inwardly to himself. He knew that the fate of the world was much more important than his simple quest for the jewel, but he couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed.

_So... _He thought. _...we're on the run now, huh?_

* * *

The chalet was not nearly as large as Shichiro's actual house, as it had been built mainly for the storage of gemstones, and not for large groups of people to stay in. In fact, Shichiro said that there was only one bedroom, and, despite his insistence otherwise, Lina and her friends decided that Shichiro should be the one to sleep in it.

The group of travellers had calmed down considerably since their initial panic, and by the time that they reached the chalet, they were back to their normal behaviour. Lina and Gourry were asking about dinner, Amelia was ranting something about the justice of the world while Zelgadis silently listened with polite interest, and Pokota had gone back to being the group's new outcast. Shichiro was leading the group with Riko by his side. He was the only one who knew where the chalet was, as he had strategically placed it in order to make sure that it was well-hidden. The group finally could see the small house, built into the rock of the mountainside, which was comforting, considering the fact that the high altitude had a dramatic effect on the weather. The temperature had dropped significantly from the valley where Shichiro lived, and the waning hours of daylight were not doing anything to warm the travellers. The chalet was a unique house- it was hard to see even if you were looking for it, and nearly impossible to see if you were not.

"This is the place." Shichiro said, gesturing to the door.

"Wow." Amelia said, admiring the stonework on the side of the building. "It's rather small, isn't it?"

"Well, to be honest, I never thought that I'd have such a large group of people with me when I came. I apologise." Shichiro replied.

"Don't worry about it." Lina sighed. "It's fine. We're pretty used to sleeping on the floor. As long as we've got a pillow and a blanket, we should be fine... But if there's a sofa, I call it!"

"How very chivalrous of you, Lina." Zelgadis sighed.

Shichiro unlocked the door and let the group inside. The house was as small on the inside as it looked on the outside, with simply a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and a bedroom- plus a set of steps that led to a basement. Most likely, it was the place where Shichiro's gem collection was stored.

"Make yourselves at home." Shichiro said, gesturing to the living room. "It's just as cold inside as it is outside right now, but once I get a fire in the fireplace it should warm up a bit, and there is the kotatsu as well."

"Kotatsu? What is that?" Lina asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's a piece of technology that I picked up while travelling, though you might have never seen one before." Shichiro answered, gesturing to a piece of furniture in the middle of the room. It looked slightly out of place- there was a fireplace with a couch on the wall opposite. An armchair was placed in one corner with a small table beside it. But in the middle of the room sat a low, square table with a blanket draped over the edges. Lina and her friends watched curiously as Shichiro started a fire, and then turned his attention to the table. Placing his hand on it, a ripple of magical energy flashed through the object, and Shichiro removed his hand. Looking back up at the incredulous group in front of him, he explained. "It's a table that can be heated using magic. The blanket around the edges traps the head underneath, so you can sit or even sleep under the blanket and stay warm. It's quite convenient for these cold mountain nights, right?"

"Wow, that's incredible." Amelia gasped.

"Wait, so you can use magic?" Lina asked.

Shichiro shrugged. "I can do a few things, I guess. Like making a lighting spell, or heating a kotatsu. Care to try it out, Miss Lina Inverse?"

Lina looked sceptically at the little table, but decided that, since she hated being cold, it was worth a try. She sat down at the table, wrapping the blanket over her legs. After a moment of sitting, she collapsed to the carpeted floor, still half covered by the kotatsu blanket.

"M-Miss Lina? Are you alright?" Amelia asked.

"Did it kill her?" Pokota wondered.

"This is... _amazing_..." Lina murmured blissfully. "So warm...I could die happy... right now..."

"I think she likes it." Gourry observed.

"Forget the sofa! I call this thing tonight!" Lina called.

"Hey, I want to try!" Pokota said, running over to where the table was.

"Go away stuffed animal! This is _my _kotatsu!" Lina snapped angrily.

"Now, now. There's room to share." Amelia said.

Shichiro began to walk toward the kitchen. "I guess I can begin dinner now. I can make some drinks while you wait. Is hot cocoa alright? I'm afraid that you might be getting tired of tea."

"Hot cocoa would be great!" Lina replied.

"Yeah, sounds good!" Amelia agreed.

"Me too, please!" Gourry added.

Zelgadis just nodded.

"I don't care for any, thank you though." Pokota replied.

Lina glared at the little animal. "Spoilsport." she muttered.

"What did you just call me?" Pokota growled, and the two began one of their little fights again.

Shichiro watched the two fighting, and chuckled. It was simply amazing that Lina and Pokota could always find something to bicker about, even when they were all on the run from an evil monster who wanted to destroy the world.

Lina and her friends definitely required some getting used to, Shichiro decided.

* * *

(A/N: Haha, I've never seen a kotatsu in real life, but from what I've heard about them, they're pretty nice. ^w^)


	9. 9: Planning! A monster and dragon truce?

Alright! It snowed today, and the whole world seems to be frozen! So... fittingly, here is chapter ⑨! The strongest chapter yet! (haha, not really...) but anyway, enjoy. And even though it was my birthday today... I still don't own Slayers. Yep... :3

* * *

**9- Planning! A monster and dragon truce?**

"So, you wanted to have a look at my gemstone collection downstairs?" Shichiro asked. The group had finished eating dinner, and was once again in the living room, discussing what they were going to do next.

"Yes, I think it would be helpful to determine exactly which jewel that we think the monster race might be after. From there, we can figure out how to protect it." Zelgadis said. "Right, Lina?" He paused, waiting for an answer, but there was none. "Lina?" He asked again.

"Aaaah~ I really need to get myself one of these kotatsu things..." Lina murmured happily from where she lay, with the kotatsu blanket pulled over her up to her neck.

"You said it." Pokota agreed from under the other side of the blanket, smiling for what seemed like the first time in ages.

"You know that you two can't stay under there forever." Zelgadis said unhappily. Lina and Pokota weren't taking this seriously at all.

"But it's soooo~ warm..." Lina sighed.

"It really is~" Pokota said.

"Say, do you think that I could join you?" Amelia asked, beginning to get up. Zelgadis grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"I don't think so. We don't need you ending up like that either." He said. "Everyone really needs to focus!"

"Alright, alright already! We're focused! Gosh, you don't have to be so upset about it." Lina said, sitting up.

"Lina, the fate of the world is at stake here. Could you at lease _act_ like you care?" Zel replied accusingly.

"I do care!" Lina exclaimed.

"Then show it." Zelgadis responded harshly. He was not in the mood for the way Lina was acting. "We should head downstairs and get a look at the gems. That way, we can figure out which one Xellos is after."

"Should we destroy it?" Gourry asked.

"Destroy it? What for?" Lina wondered.

"Well, if Xellos wanted to kill Shichiro to get the gem, and the gem was destroyed, then there would be no need for him to target Shichiro, right?" Gourry said.

"That's an unusually good idea," Zelgadis admitted, "but if this thing really is a vessel for the Lord of Nightmares, it shouldn't be able to be easily broken. That's our problem. Something that can host the spirit of the mother of all things would definitely have to be an object that is nearly indestructible."

"Very true." Lina agreed. "Otherwise, the insane amount of power would be too much, and the vessel would break."

"So... if we can't destroy the thing, then what do we do with it?" Shichiro asked. "Should we hide it somewhere?"

"I have no idea." Lina sighed. "Oh, this is troublesome... I wish I could just spend the rest of my life under this kotatsu..."

"That sounds awfully boring, Miss Lina." Amelia said.

"It sounds awfully warm to me." Lina shot back. "But I guess we can go downstairs..."

* * *

The group made their way down the stone steps, into the dark underground level.

"B-brrr! IT's like an icebox down here! I want my kotatsu!" Lina whined.

"Please bear with it, Miss Lina Inverse." Shichiro said. "Here, let's take a look at some of the gemstones that we have..." He produced a small lighting spell, and Lina, Amelia, and Zelgadis did the same. The room lit up, and the group gasped in surprise. There were hundreds of gemstones of all shapes, sizes, and colours. Lina's eyes sparkled, and she ran around the room, looking in awe at each of the jewels.

"Amazing! This is amazing! I love this one! Oh, and this one! This one too!"

"Lina, what happened to being cold?" Gourry asked.

"I love treasure more than I hate being cold!" Lina defended.

"Oh, Lina..." Gourry laughed. Lina crossed her arms and huffed indignantly.

"So... which one of these jewel thingies do you think Xellos is after?" Pokota asked, examining the shelves of gemstones.

"I have no idea." Shichiro replied, looking around. "I can show you some of the more unique ones that I have..." He reached out to grasp a bright orange stone. "I like this one in particular." He said.

"What is it? A topaz?" Amelia asked.

"Actually, it's an orange sapphire." Shichiro replied.

"Sapphires come in orange? I thought they were blue." Gourry observed.

"Well, yes, pure sapphires are usually blue. But chemical impurities can change the colour of the jewel. See?" Shichiro said it with his usual friendly smile, but there was an edge of condescension in his voice.

"Um, oh yeah. Right." Gourry replied sheepishly.

"What about this thing?" Zelgadis asked, gesturing to a pink crystal.

"It looks almost fluffy! Just like cotton candy!" Lina said, beginning to drool.

"Yeah, cotton candy..." Gourry agreed, also looking longingly at the rosy mineral.

Shichiro grabbed the mineral defensively. "No! This is _not _edible." He said. "It's gypsum."

"Gypsum? That doesn't sound very appetising." Lina sighed.

"No, it's really not." Shichiro agreed.

"What is this?" Amelia asked, gesturing to a small stone that held an opaque crystal inside.

"Oh, that? That's one of my favourites." Shichiro said, taking the stone from Amelia. "It's a geode- a crystal that forms inside of a normal sedimentary rock, such as limestone in this case. The crystal inside is quartz."

"That's amazing." Pokota replied.

"Yeah. It certainly is." Shichiro replied. "It's amazing how something can appear just like a normal rock on the outside, yet hide such beauty within."

"M-Mister Shichiro... that was... POETRY!" Amelia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling happily. Shichiro seemed somewhat put off by her sudden display of emotion. He stepped back slightly.

"P-poetry? I was just making a random comment about the mineral... you don't have to get so worked up about it." Shichiro said, startled.

"B-but it was just so... so..." Amelia began, but Zelgadis grabbed her by the back of her shirt.

"This is not time for that, Amelia. Really. Please be quiet." The chimera complained.

"Hmph!" Amelia sighed, turning away, muttering something about 'self-injustice.'

"So... here's the million dollar question- which one of these jewels are the monster race after?" Lina said, looking around.

"I can't tell." Zelgadis said.

"Me neither. Are we supposed to be sensing some sort of magical energy around it or something?" Amelia asked.

"I don't think so- after all, it's just a vessel. Kind of like the Hellmaster's jar." Pokota said. "It was a vessel to host someone's spirit, but it has no magical aura of its own."

"Right." Lina agreed. "So the only way to find it would be to test its magical capacity."

"Magical capacity? What does that mean?" Gourry asked.

"Idiot! It means that we try to destroy the gems and see how much magic they can stand up to until they break! If there is one that we can't break, even with our strongest spell, then it must be the vessel!"

"W-wait! Wouldn't that mean that we'd destroy a whole bunch of gems before we find the vessel?" Amelia gasped.

"I... don't see any other way to figure it out." Lina replied.

"You can't do that!" Shichiro exclaimed. "These are my gems! I've spent years collecting them!"

"I guess I can respect that..." Lina sighed. "If I had a treasure like this, I wouldn't let anyone attempt to destroy it either."

"So... what do we do now? We don't know which one Xellos is after, so we're still in the same position as before... right?" Gourry asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"We'll just protect them all!" Lina replied.

"Protect all of them?" Amelia asked. "I guess that makes sense..."

"Sure does! Just like going back up to the kotatsu and falling asleep makes sense too!" Lina exclaimed. "Hey stuffed animal! I'll race you up the stairs!"

"You're on!" Pokota replied as he rushed after the sorceress.

* * *

Xellos examined the house, having realised already that there was no one home. _Just like humans... _he thought. _Once their lives are in danger, they leave as soon as possible. They have that uncanny will to survive... oh dear..._

Xellos picked up some books from the bookshelf in the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch. _A monster could really get used to living here. _He thought pleasantly, as he waved his hand and caused a cup of tea to appear. He sat for a while, reading happily, until there was a knock on the door.

"Now who could that be?" He wondered out loud. "Not a client, I hope. Unfortunately for them, the person they came to see is now on the run for his life." Xellos put the book down, and went to answer the door. He didn't open it, but simply called out.

"Who is it?"

There was a muffled, but immediately recognisable voice in response. "My name is Filia, and... Xellos? Is that you? Let me in right now!"

Xellos snapped to attention. "Um... er... I am sorry, there is no one available to take your call right now. Please leave a message, and we will get back to you as soon as possible!"

"I know that's you, Xellos! Let me in this instant!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"That's a secret."

Xellos could feel Filia's rage penetrating through the door. "LET ME IN RIGHT NOW, OR I'M GOING TO BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR!"

"Uh... well... at the risk of you destroying a perfectly good door... I suppose... I could let you in for a moment..." Xellos opened the door, to see Filia with her mace already in position to strike.

"Xellos!" She hissed, rushing into the room. "I finally found you!"

"Uh, yes, you did. _Not _the other way around, just for the record." Xellos stated.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Well... I've been told that I'm not supposed to talk to you..." Xellos admitted, flushing slightly.

"What? By who?"

"That's a secret." Xellos knew to duck after saying this, as his head just barely missed contact with Filia's mace.

"Xellos, you idiot! I don't care who told you to do what! You tell me everything this instant, you hear me?" Filia commanded.

"Is that a request or a demand?" Xellos asked timidly.

"A demand!" Filia shot back.

Xellos sighed dejectedly, but the look on his face betrayed his true satisfaction. He finally had an excuse to mess with Filia some more- after all _she_ had found him, and _demanded _that he talk to her.

"Well... I suppose if you were the one to demand me to talk to you... I could tell you a few things.."

Filia shoved the mace up against Xellos' neck. "Not just a _few _things, you dirty monster! I need you to tell me everything!"

"Oho~ quite the violent one today, aren't we, Filia dear?" Xellos laughed. He wasn't afraid of physical harm.

"Xellos..." Filia's eyes narrowed. "Tell me what is going on, what this new objective that you have is, and why you ditched Jillas and me back there."

"Of course, of course. If you demand it, I'll tell you." Xellos said, nodding. "So why don't we go into the living room and have some tea while we discuss this."

"Tea? Tea? How can we have tea at a time like this?" Filia yelled. "You monsters always suggest tea at the most inopportune times!"

"Calm down now, Filia dear. You don't have to get so worked up." Xellos replied coolly. "You demanded it, so to avoid possible harm that would interfere with my mission, I will tell you everything."

"Everything?" Filia asked suspiciously.

"Everything." Xellos affirmed with a nod of his head.

Filia sighed, and put away her mace. Reluctantly, she followed Xellos into the living room, and sat down in the armchair opposite the couch. Xellos handed her a cup of tea, which she examined distrustfully. "I'm not sure that I want to drink any tea that you conjured up." She stated.

"What's wrong with it?" Xellos asked, feigning a hurt expression. "I'm not going to poison you or anything. Didn't I tell you that it was more advantageous to me if you remained alive?"

"You told me that you'd _like it_ if I stayed alive." Filia corrected, remembering their last conversation well. "So that's only because I'm advantageous to you?"

"Well... um..." Xellos didn't finish the sentence. "Just what brings you here anyway, Filia? Do you have business with Miss Lina and her friends?"

"I thought you were the one who was supposed to be answering the questions." Filia shot back. "But no, I actually came because I wanted to find _you_. I figured that Miss Lina and her friends could help me with that, but I ended up finding you before I found them. So that leads to my first question... just where are Miss Lina and the others?"

Xellos thought for a moment. "I'm not sure where they are. Probably fleeing for their lives at the moment."

"Fleeing for their lives?" Filia gasped. "Why do I have the feeling that's _your _fault?"

"Oh, it is my doing." Xellos replied. "But I assure you, they are overreacting."

"Overreacting? How is fleeing for your life overreacting?" Filia demanded.

"I'm not trying to kill all of them. Just one of them." Xellos defended.

"You're trying to kill one of them? Which one?" Filia asked, a horrified expression on her face.

"Ah... the small one... what does he go by again...? Oh, yes, Shichiro. He calls himself Shichiro. Unusual name, don't you think?" Xellos commented.

"Not any more unusual than Xellos." Filia shot back. "I can't believe that you would be sent to kill an innocent human like that! What right do you have-"

"Filia dear, could you at least wait for me to explain the situation? Killing what's-his-name is simply a secondary objective. The first is to locate and protect a particular item that is important to the monster race- a vessel for the Lord of Nightmares." Xellos interrupted her.

"L-Lord of Nightmares? A vessel?" Filia gasped.

"Yes. I was quite close earlier, but it seems that right now it has eluded my grasp. I'm going to have to try harder from this point on... you wouldn't consider helping me out, would you Filia dear?"

"Wait! You monsters want to destroy the world with this vessel, right?" Filia accused.

"That is the eventual goal, yes." Xellos nodded.

"The how in the world do you expect me to willingly help you?" She demanded.

"Filia..." Xellos began. His appearance changed from his normal mischievous smile, to a serious expression, and directed a cold stare at the dragon. "...It is completely your choice whether or not to become involved in this matter. But I must warn you, if we cannot protect this vessel, then the world may face a much worse fate than what we plan. Do you understand the circumstances?"

Filia blinked in incredulity at what she had just heard. "A... a much worse fate...? I can't imagine... I really don't quite understand the circumstances... but if you're telling the truth..."

"What reason would I have to lie to you? Not just a silly or spiteful reason, because this is a serious matter, but a good, solid reason to lie to you. Can you think of any?" Xellos asked.

Filia could think of none.

"B-but..." Filia stammered. "How could any fate be worse than the destruction of the world...?"

"Think about it this way, Filia dear." Xellos instructed. "In our case, we want to destroy the world quickly and efficiently." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that. Then the monster race would be happy because the world has been returned to chaos, and the rest of the world wouldn't know what hit it. But..." Xellos paused. "It would seem that Phibrizzo also wants to get his hands on the vessel. If Phibrizzo were to get it, then he would not only destroy the world, but cause as much suffering as he could in the process. In that case, the number of people affected would be many, and the torment would be great. Do you understand, my dear?"

Filia stood, looking shocked. She had never imagined that anything could be worse than the spontaneous annihilation of the entire world. But to have the world slowly and painfully destroyed, as Xellos described would be even more horrible. "I... I don't..." She stammered.

"Basically, helping me would be helping to prevent the suffering that Phibrizzo has planned. We can't let him get the vessel at any cost. Of course, it is your choice. You don't have to help me-"

"I will!" Filia exclaimed. "I'll help make sure that Phibrizzo doesn't get this vessel! But..."

"But what?" Xellos asked.

"But I'm only helping you to keep Phibrizzo away from the vessel! I can't let the world be destroyed! Once the vessel is safely in our possession, then I will become your enemy! Understand?" Filia yelled.

"Yes, I understand." Xellos nodded, grinning. "I look forward to it."

* * *

Lina opened her eyes to see the dim light of the living room. She had been asleep under the kotatsu blanket, along with Pokota. Gourry was sleeping on the floor with a blanket and a pillow, Zelgadis had taken the armchair, and Amelia was stretched out on the couch. Lina looked around, and it didn't take her long to notice the suspicious absence of a certain stuffed animal. "Pokota?" She called quietly, hoping not to wake any of the others. "Pokota?" Lina's curiosity got the best of her, and she reluctantly left the warmth of the kotatsu. She was immediately sorry, as she shivered in the cold room, but since she was already up, she , might as well figure out where that little fuzzball had run off to.

A slight, cold breeze alerted Lina that the front door of the chalet was slightly ajar. _What kind of idiot leaves the door cracked open in this sort of weather? _Lina wondered. She peered out the window on to the porch, and was suddenly surprised to see Pokota. _What's he doing out there? _Lina thought. _He looks like he's in serious thought. And what is he holding...? _Lina gasped. Pokota held an object in his hands, obviously the object of his contemplations as he was staring at it with a sombre expression.

It was the replica Sword of Light.

"What on earth is that little animal doing with the Sword of Light? I thought he gave it to Gourry." Lina murmured. She saw the way he was staring at the sword, and it all seemed to make sense. Slamming the door open, Lina called out to Pokota.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing with that?"

Pokota jumped, startled out of his reverie by Lina's harsh voice. He looked nervously at Lina, at the sword, and back at Lina with an insanely guilty expression on his face. "D-doing? I wasn't doing anything with it! Nothing at all! Ahahaha~ What in the world would make you think that I was doing something with it?"

Lina narrowed her eyes. If there was something Pokota was especially bad at, it was lying. His voice completely changed, and he had a terrible nervous laugh. Lina could tell easily that he had been up to something.

"You're a terrible liar, Pokota." Lina said. "You _were_ doing something with that sword. And... I know exactly what you were going to do."

Pokota's eyes took on a look of fear as he heard what Lina had said. "Y-you know what I was going to do?" He asked nervously.

"Of course I do. It's obvious." Lina replied, seeing the panicked expression on Pokota's face. "You want to steal the replica Sword of Light back for yourself, don't you?"

Pokota blinked a few times, his expression changing from panic, to relief, to inspiration, and then finally, to the guilty expression he had worn before.

"Stealing it...? That's what you thought I was doing...? Well, in that case..." His voice suddenly changed to the higher pitch that indicated forced dishonesty. "Oh no! I can't believe I got caught! I feel so ashamed, I don't know what to say! I can't believe what I was about to do! I'm such a terrible person!" Pokota jumped up, and handed the sword to Lina. "Here. Take it. I should have never tried to steal it. I'm sorry." He rushed quickly back inside, closing the door behind him. Lina watched incredulously, and then looked back down at the sword in her hands.

"Well, he obviously wasn't _stealing_ it. So much for that idea." She muttered. But she began to think it over as she went back inside and crawled back under the kotatsu.

_Pokota wasn't stealing it, but he was doing something with it. Something so bad, that apparently he'd rather have me believe that he was a thief, rather than discover his true intentions. Just what does that little animal want with the Sword of Light anyway...?_

* * *

(A/N: Okay! So Xellos and Filia have teamed up- for now anyway... And Pokota was almost back to normal earlier... but now he's relapsed back into that whole OOC thing again... the poor guy... *sigh* I get the feeling that Lina thinks he's going to kill them all... but don't worry! He wouldn't do that!)


	10. 10: Random Side Adventure! part 1

10 chapters already! This is a fun story! And I still don't own Slayers, though.

(A/N: Okay, I felt that the story was going a bit too fast for my liking, so I wanted to put in a fluffy chapter that focused on Amelia and Zel. It ended up snowballing (literally) into a two-chapter random adventure involving them and a some random OCs. I'm sorry if it bores you... blame my brother-heheh...Chefa and Laika belong to my brother... though Haikal is mine... :3)

* * *

**10-Past Battles! Justice of True Love? (part 1)**

"So we need to protect all the gems here, right?" Lina asked.

"It would seem so." Zelgadis replied.

"But how exactly are we going to do that?" Gourry asked. "Do we just stay here and guard them around the clock?"

"I can't see much other alternative." Zelgadis sighed, still sitting in the armchair that he had slept in. Amelia had made room for Gourry and Shichiro on the couch, and Lina and Pokota still occupied the kotatsu.

"That sounds soooo~ boring!" Lina whined. "What are we supposed to do if no one comes and attacks us! After all, we made it so that Xellos would have a hard time finding it! Can't we be proactive somehow, instead of just waiting around for Xellos to attack?"

"Miss Lina makes a good point. If we simply wait around and let Mister Xellos find us, then what use would it have been to come all the way up here?" Amelia nodded.

"But what can we do? If you're not sure which one Xellos is after, then how are we going to deal with the situation?" Shichiro asked.

"That is..." Lina's voice trailed off. "...I'm not sure..."

"So I guess it's decided that we'll stay and protect the entire gem collection." Zelgadis said, crossing his arms behind his head, making himself comfortable in the somewhat decrepit armchair. "What fun."

"Well... actually, Mister Greywords..." Shichiro began. Zelgadis looked up. "This area was so far away from my original house that I never suggested it, but since we're here, I thought I'd let you know that this area is practically crawling with rumours and legends of hidden jewels. Perhaps you would like to venture out to search for some of them..."

Zelgadis looked over at the boy with an expression that was a mix between shock and gratitude. "Y-you mean that... I can keep searching for that jewel?"

"Yes, I suppose so. As long as there are at least three people who stay behind to guard the gemstone collection that is here." Shichiro nodded. "You could actually go ahead out looking today, now that we've eaten breakfast. We do have the whole day ahead of us."

"Shichiro... I..." Zelgadis got up, and began getting some travelling supplies together. "Thank you so much!"

"Well I'm sorry that we're in this mess. I did agree to help you find whatever gem it is that you're looking for, so I just wanted to be helpful."

"Hang on, Zel!" Lina called. Zelgadis turned around. He was all ready to leave, and didn't want to have to put up with whatever Lina was going to suggest.

"What is it?" Zelgadis sighed.

"Shichiro said that there need to be only three people here to guard the gems. That means that someone can accompany you. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go off by yourself, so..."

"Lina, you're NOT coming." Zelgadis growled in response.

Lina gave him an indignant look. "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving this kotatsu! I was going to say 'Amelia, go with Zel!' Unless... of course... you still want to go alone..." Lina flashed the chimera a knowing look.

"Miss Lina is right, Zelgadis! It would certainly be unjust to let you go off by yourself!" Amelia agreed. "Would you please let me come with you?"

Zelgadis flushed slightly. "O-of course you can come. I never said that you couldn't." He stammered.

"Yay! Thank you so much, Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed happily. Zelgadis blushed further at her enthusiasm, and attempted to hide it.

"Just... don't get in my way." He said as stoically as possible.

"Right! You can count on me!" Amelia responded, not even slightly discouraged by the chimera's lack of interest.

The two gathered their things and left, leaving Lina, Shichiro, Gourry, and Pokota in the chalet- not to mention the cat. Lina stretched, and sat up against the kotatsu. "So..." She began, attempting to fill the awkward silence. "Anyone want to play a game of cards or something?"

"We could play spades." Shichiro suggested. "We do have four people."

"Oh! Is that like Go Fish? I know how to play Go Fish!" Gourry exclaimed.

Lina banged her head on the table. "If I wasn't so comfortable here, I'd go over there and give you a good whack over the head, jellyfish-brains."

"S-sorry! What did I do?" Gourry asked, flinching in response to Lina's angry tone.

Lina sighed, not wanting to explain the immense differences between Spades and Go Fish. She glanced over at Pokota, who was sitting half-covered by the other end of the kotatsu blanket with the same serious expression she had seen the night before. Lina hadn't mentioned her encounter with the little animal and the Sword of Light to anyone, much to Pokota's relief. He hoped that she would keep her mouth shut- or better yet, assume that it was just a dream and forget about it herself.

* * *

"So... Zelgadis... where are we going?" Amelia asked as the two walked along the mountain path.

"You know... I just realised that I have no idea." Zel replied.

Amelia fell dramatically to the ground. "That certainly isn't like you to start a journey without a destination in mind!"

Zelgadis helped the princess back to her feet. "Sorry, I guess I just didn't have time to think it over or ask Shichiro for a recommendation as to where we should search."

Amelia rubbed her head. "It's okay, I guess. We'll find a place. Here, I have an idea!" The princess stepped away a few centimetres, and stretched her arms out. She began to spin around several times.

"Uh... Amelia? What the heck are you doing?" Zelgadis asked.

Amelia didn't reply. She stopped spinning, and paused dizzily for a moment. Then, with her eyes still closed, she pointed in one direction. "There! The power of fate has directed us _this_ way!"

"The power of fate, huh?" Zelgadis asked. He sighed, and followed Amelia along the path. They walked quietly for some time, taking in the scenery. Amelia inched closer and closer to Zelgadis, until he finally had to ask her what was wrong.

"Amelia? You okay?"

"Y-yeah... I just didn't realise how cold it would be. It's freezing out here!" Amelia responded. Zelgadis sighed, removing his cloak and wrapping it around Amelia's shoulders.

"You should really dress warmer. You'll catch a cold if you don't." Zel said.

"I'm sorry... but it really was so much warmer back where we were before... I didn't think that it was going to get this cold..." Amelia stammered, pulling the beige and green cape tightly around her. "Thank you, Zelgadis."

Suddenly, from somewhere not too far away, they heard the low howl of a wolf. Amelia clutched Zelgadis in fear, and he instinctively put his arm around her defensively.

"I-I thought there might be wolves around here... but I didn't think that we'd run into one..." Amelia gasped.

"But where did that howl come from?" Zelgadis asked. His eyes followed the direction that the sound had come from, and he spotted a large, canine-shaped shadow cast on a rock. The shadow moved, and the entire wolf came into view- an enormous wolf, its silver fur seeming to glitter despite the overcast sky. It turned a pair of deep crimson eyes at the two travellers, seeming to study them for a moment. Then, in one strong leap, it jumped down to where the two travellers were standing and took a few steps toward them. Zelgadis kept one arm tightly around Amelia, and pulled his sword out with the other.

The wolf seemed surprised by the sword, and backed away a few steps, an uneasy look on his face. "Whoa, whoa! Take it easy with the sword! I don't mean any harm!" He barked at them.

Zelgadis nearly dropped his sword in shock. "You can talk?" He gasped.

"Of course I can talk! I'm- oh. Right. Sorry." The wolf stopped mid-sentence, and shook his head. Stepping back slightly, he incanted a spell. "_Transformation!"_

The wolf began to glow, and quickly took the form of a young man with unruly blue hair. The only features he retained from his wolf form were the crimson eyes, the sliver ears, and the long silver tail tipped with white. "Sorry about that. I sort of forgot that I was taking the form of a wolf. I guess I must have scared you, huh?"

Amelia blinked, looking at him in recognition. "Aren't you... one of Mister Josiah's friends? ...Mister Chefa, wasn't it?"

Chefa smiled. "Yeah, that's me. I'm glad you remember me, Princess. After all, it's been like, a year since we met.

Zelgadis nodded. "I do remember you- from the cooking competition. So you're not travelling with the chef anymore?"

Chefa shook his head. "Nope. Josiah took over the position as head chef for the royal family of Sairaag, so that's where he is right now. Caroline is there too. I split up with them, since I had other things that I needed to take care of."

"Other things? Like what? What are you doing here?" Zelgadis wanted to know.

"Well... you see... I'm trying to find my old wolf pack. That's why I took the form of a wolf- so that I wouldn't scare them."

Amelia nodded. "I see. That's amazing. So this is where you come from, Mister Chefa?"

"Yep. And it hasn't changed a bit in the last 60 years since I've seen it."

"60 years? That's quite a long time! You must be very dedicated to come back here!" Amelia gasped.

Chefa smiled and nodded. "Yeah. So, what about you two? I must say, this is pretty far from Seyruun, not to mention an odd place for a date. Definitely not where _I'd_ take a girl, but hey! Whatever floats your boat, right?"

"D-date? This is not a date!" Zelgadis defended, his face reddening slightly.

"Huh? It's not? Oh! Don't tell me... is it some sort of honeymoon thing?" Chefa responded.

"N-no..." Zelgadis groaned, putting his face in his palm in an attempt to keep it from getting any redder.

"No, no, no! It's not like that at all!" Amelia assured Chefa. "We're, um... looking for something for Zelgadis. I was just accompanying him to make sure that nothing bad happened and to defend Justice...and whatnot!"

"Justice, huh? I see..." Chefa nodded. He had heard many things about the Seyruun royal family from his friend Josiah, and knew all about their Justice-obsession.

"But why are you searching for your pack anyway? How will you know it's yours?" Zelgadis asked. "After all, you've been gone for 60 years. I doubt any of the wolves would recognise you."

"Oh yeah. About that..." Chefa began. "You see... the wolves that live in this area are not your ordinary wolves. They're... special."

"Special? How so?" Amelia asked.

"These wolves are actually a race of wolves that helped the dragons during the War of the Monster's Fall." Chefa explained.

"The wolves that assisted the dragons..." Zelgadis began. "...and the dragons were so grateful that they passed on their knowledge of extreme longevity allowing the wolves to live as long as a dragon would. Isn't that right?"

"How did you know about that?" Chefa gasped.

"We learned about it while studying some ruins in Seyruun!" Amelia exclaimed. "I always thought that it was a nice legend, but I never really thought that it was true!"

Zelgadis nodded. "I see where you're going with this too. In 60 years, a normal wolf would have lived its whole life and passed away. But 60 years for a wolf with the lifespan of a dragon is nothing."

"That's right." Chefa agreed. "That's why I'm coming back. I enjoy my new human friends, but... I just miss my old friends too much. I have to find them again. I have to let them know that I've finally accomplished my quest to become stronger."

"Say! I have an idea!" Amelia chimed.

"Oh? What's that?" Zelgadis asked.

"Well... I was thinking that maybe, the wolves around here would know about any of the gemstones in the area. We could help Mister Chefa find his pack, and then we could ask them about the jewel! It's perfect, isn't it? Definitely better than wandering aimlessly!"

"Wandering aimlessly? I thought that you were directed by the power of fate." Zelgadis teased.

"Well... fate can become boring sometimes!" Amelia huffed. "Besides, don't you think it would be better?"

Zelgadis nodded. "Yeah. Chefa, would it bother you if we helped you find your pack?"

"Bother me? Are you kidding? I'd be totally glad to have your help! ...uh, refresh me on your names, could you?" Chefa asked.

"I'm Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun! Please, though, just call me Amelia!"

"I'm Zelgadis. Just Zelgadis."

Chefa nodded. "Okay, Amelia and Zelgadis. Got it."

'Amelia and Zelgadis...' Zel decided that he rather like the way their names sounded together. He mentally slapped himself for getting distracted, especially about something as trivial as that, but he couldn't help it. What Chefa had said earlier had made him even more self-conscious than normal.

"Well, enough talking. Let's get searching. They want us to be back at the chalet by dinnertime, remember?" Zelgadis asked Amelia.

"Oh! Right!" Amelia agreed.

"They?' Who is 'they?" Chefa asked.

"Oh! That would be Miss Lina and the others! You remember our friends, right?" Amelia asked.

"Lina... she's the one that called me a_ dog_! How could I possibly forget her?" Chefa asked, his tail thrashing angrily behind his cape at the memory.

Zelgadis sighed. "Lina sure does leave quite an impression behind, doesn't she?"

"Miss Lina is just like that." Amelia replied sadly.

"Come on! Let's go! You guys don't mind if I go back to being a wolf, do you?" Chefa asked.

"Not at all. Lead the way." Zel replied.

* * *

It ended up being Amelia who lead the group. Her enthusiasm and natural leadership skills caused her to fall into place at the head of the group, Chefa and Zelgadis following behind.

Chefa had told the travellers his story in its entirety. He had been the lowest member of his pack, and was looked down upon by nearly everyone except his closest friends. Basically, he felt like a freak because of his weakness. He felt loyal to those friends who stood by him, and wanted to prove himself worthy of them, and show everyone else that he could be strong. So he left on a quest to find some way to get strength. He travelled for a long time, until he finally met a human sorcerer- one that called himself the 'Red Priest.' This human had given Chefa a new body and incredible powers, but it came with the stipulation that he could never feel happiness until he was defeated or evenly matched in a battle. It had taken years for Chefa to finally find a pair of humans able to break the curse, and Chefa felt loyal to them. They became friends and travelled together, but in the back of his mind, Chefa always wanted to return to his pack. Now that Josiah and Caroline were in Sairaag, Chefa felt that there was no better time to search for his pack. So, that was how he ended up in the mountains where he had met Amelia and Zelgadis.

"Anyway, I just want to find my friends again." Chefa concluded.

"I see." Amelia nodded. "But... it's not just that, is it?"

"Huh?" The wolf looked up at the princess, confused.

"There's a particular girl, Isn't there?" Amelia said.

"H-how did you know about that?" Chefa asked incredulously. Zel didn't think it was possible for a wolf to blush, but Chefa did.

"I saw it in your eyes." Amelia replied. "The Justice of True Love hides itself from no one."

Zelgadis stiffened. Was Amelia really that good at reading unspoken emotions? Just how much did she know anyway?

"So, what's her name?" Amelia continued, not paying any attention to her chimera friend.

"Her name is Laika." Chefa replied. "She's the sister of one of my good friends, Haikal. She was always hanging around us because of her brother. She was always so beautiful... but that wasn't what really made me fall for her. She always insisted that I wasn't a freak, no matter what others said. She stood up for me, and helped me. I wanted to stay with her, and I almost didn't leave... but I didn't want to stay a freak..." Chefa sighed sadly.

Zelgadis felt a pang of understanding for the wolf, and wondered why Chefa's story seemed to ring true for him. "So... you chose to search for the solution to your problem, instead of staying with the one that you knew would accept you for who you were?"

"It does sound crazy when you think about it." Chefa nodded. "We could have been so happy. But I was stupid. I didn't want to be considered a freak and a weakling anymore... though I should never have left..."

"No; those kinds of decisions are hard to make." Zelgadis replied, giving Chefa a sympathetic look.

"Yeah... but honestly? 60 years? I'm afraid that I might be too late now." Chefa sighed.

"Don't think pessimistic thoughts like that, Mister Chefa! I'm sure that we will find her, and she will still be there for you just like before! The Justice of True Love always prevails!" Amelia called, rushing ahead of the group. Zelgadis smiled as he watched her, and Chefa took notice of it.

"Say, she's a princess, isn't she?" He asked the chimera.

"Uh, yeah. So?" Zelgadis responded.

"Oh, I was just thinking... isn't she a little... out of your league?" Chefa asked.

Anyone who knew Zelgadis well, would have expected some sort of death glare from that comment. But Chefa was not familiar with the chimera, so it didn't surprise him in the least when Zel simply shrugged and said, "Yeah, she really is. But she doesn't seem to think so."

"Oh." Chefa replied. "So it's her who's fallen for you, and not the other way around, huh?"

Zelgadis wasn't sure how to take that. "I... I _do_ like her!" He defended.

"I never said you didn't." Chefa said, shooting the chimera an odd look.

Zelgadis blushed and turned away, realising what he had just said. He hadn't meant to be so blunt and outright."I... didn't mean... that wasn't..."

"I've got it." Chefa said, grinning. "Of course, of course." The wolf turned his head up to the clouds, sensing something. Almost on cue, small, white flakes began falling from the clouds and settling on the landscape and travellers. "Hey, look! It's finally snowing!" Chefa said.

"Great. Just what we need." Zelgadis mumbled, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"Hey! You guys! It's snowing! It's really snowing!" Amelia called, running up to her friends. "Isn't it beautiful? It's so romantic!"

"How is snow romantic?" Zelgadis asked. "It's cold and wet and it gets in your way. I hate the snow."

Amelia was in shock. "H-how can you hate the snow, Zelgadis? That's impossible! Snow blankets the ground turning everything into a field of sparkling white! It's beautiful to look at, isn't it?"

"Hmph. All that white stuff, and it's cold. It certainly gets in your way while travelling, doesn't it?" Zel said.

"What about you, Mister Chefa? Do you like the snow?"

"It's okay, I guess. We get snow around here a lot, so I'm used to it. It's like a part of life, you know what I mean?" The wolf responded.

"Right! That's the way!" Amelia enthused, running ahead again, enjoying the falling snow.

"I just don't want to get caught in a blizzard again..." Zelgadis mumbled.

Suddenly, they heard Amelia gasp from where she stood. "Amelia? What's wrong?" Zelgadis asked, rushing to her side.

"It... it's a wolf! Look! Do you think that it could be one of Mister Chefa's friends?" Amelia pointed to the moving figure of a wolf farther down from the cliff that they were on.

"That..." Chefa began, joining them. He examined the wolf carefully, and gasped suddenly. "Th-that's Haikal!"

* * *

"Haikal!" Chefa called, jumping nimbly down the rocks. The other wolf looked up in surprise to hear his name called. It was a vaguely familiar voice, but he wasn't sure whether or not it was real- after all, the owner of the voice had been gone for 60 years. Haikal turned and looked at the wolf, recognising his features immediately.

"Ch-Chefa?" He gasped in surprise. The two wolves met and one stared at the other in disbelief. "Chefa, is that really you?"

"In the flesh, dude?" Chefa replied, flashing a cool smile at his old friend.

"Oh, Chefa!" Haikal rushed to greet the other wolf, touching noses in a friendly gesture. Amelia's eyes sparkled as she watched.

"The reunion of two old friends! Isn't it beautiful, Zelgadis?" She asked.

"I suppose so." Zelgadis replied, deciding to humour her.

"Ch-Chefa, where did you come from? We thought that you were dead!" Haikal exclaimed.

"No way, man! I went off to get stronger, and that's what I did!" Chefa exclaimed.

"You finally did get stronger?" Haikal asked in awe.

"Sure did!" Chefa replied. He noticed that his friend's eyes were drawn to his new travelling companions. "Oh, sorry, I didn't introduce you yet. Haikal, these are some human friends of mine- well, friends of a friend, actually. They helped me find you."

Haikal turned to the two of them, bowing his head in respect. "Pleased to meet you, friends of Chefa. I am called Haikal. And you are?"

"I am Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun! But you can call me Amelia!" She said proudly.

"Zelgadis Greywords. Just Zelgadis works," He added casually.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Haikal replied, bowing respectfully. He seemed interested in the two humans that had suddenly appeared with his old friend. Amelia reached out to pet Haikal's head, and the wolf happily allowed her. "So," Haikal began. "do you and your mate travel around here often? I haven't ever seen the two of you before."

Amelia pulled her hand away. "My... what?" She asked.

"Your mate." Haikal responded, looking at the two of them. "Aren't the two of you...?"

"No, no, no!" Zelgadis responded, blushing. "It's not like that at all! Why do you keep thinking that?"

Haikal seemed to shrug. "Oh, well in the wolf pack, normally grown wolves don't often associate with wolves of the opposite gender unless they are siblings or mates. You're not siblings, are you?"

"Most certainly not!" Zelgadis replied, a little more forceful than necessary.

"That sounds sad." Amelia said. "I'd miss all my friends if I couldn't hang out with them. There's Mister Gourry, and Mister Pokota, and Mister Shichiro..."

Haikal cocked his head. "Your friends? Are they all brothers?"

Amelia gave him a puzzled look. "Uh, no. Why do you ask?"

"Well, all their names start with 'Mister." Haikal replied.

"Oh, no! That's not their name! It's just a word added onto the name! It conveys respect for the person!"

"Oh, I see. So it's a title of respect, huh? So I guess Zelgadis would become Mister Zelgadis, then?" Haikal replied.

"Well... no. I don't call him that." Amelia responded.

"Why? Do you not respect him?"

"No! I respect him very much! It's just... he's someone very close to me, and it makes it more friendly not to use the honorific. It shows that I care about him." Amelia explained.

"So... you add the honorific when you respect someone, but you take it away when you care about them?" Haikal asked incredulously. "I will never understand humans..."

"Don't worry." Chefa assured him. "It took me a while too."

"But Chefa... I can't believe you're back!" Haikal exclaimed, in awe at his friend.

"I know. I can hardly believe it myself." Chefa replied. "Haikal... do you know where Laika is? How is she doing? Is she... alright?"

The look on Haikal's face as he thought about how to answer the question made it apparent that something was wrong. "Haikal? Is everything alright? What happened to Laika?"

Haikal sighed, knowing that he could avoid the answer no longer. "Laika..." he began. "...was cast out of our pack."

"Wh-what?" Chefa asked, a stricken look on his face.

"Cast out?" Amelia gasped. "B-but why?"

"It's a long story..." Haikal sighed.

* * *

"Alright, Gourry. Remember, the spade is always the trump card." Lina instructed to her partner.

Gourry looked up, puzzled. "But why? I don't really get it. Couldn't you do a lot more damage with a club than a spade? And what about having hearts and diamonds? Those are valuable, right? Much more valuable than a regular old spade."

"No, no! That's not the point!" Lina sighed, exasperated.

"I'm starting to think that this game doesn't have a point, to tell you the truth." Gourry replied. Lina banged her head on the kotatsu that they were playing on. At least their team seemed to be holding their own. Shichiro was a pretty good spades player, but he didn't seem to be having much luck with the cards, and Pokota had his head in the clouds and wasn't paying attention to anything that was going on. Basically, Pokota and Gourry were totally worthless, and the game was really more between Lina and Shichiro. Lina was so bored...

_I sure hope Amelia and Zel are having fun... _She thought angrily. _Because tomorrow, it will be_ my_ turn to go gem-hunting!_

* * *

(A/N: Okay, I'm sorry about the off-topicness of this chapter! But it's fun, right? Haha... One more chapter of this, and then we'll be back to the plot, I promise... :3)


	11. 11: Random Side Adventure! part 2

Chapter 11. Obviously, Slayers does not belong to me. If it did, why would I be writing **FAN**fiction?

(A/N: So here is the second part of the random side adventure. And then we'll get back to the plot, I promise! I must warn you of unjust leadership, cliche antagonists, and insane fluffiness at the end. I am not to be held responsible for anything that happens to any mazoku reading this story. Seriously.)

* * *

**11- Past Battles! Justice of True Love? part 2**

"Cast out?" Amelia gasped. "B-but why?"

"It's a long story..." Haikal sighed.

"Tell us, Haikal! I need to know what happened!" Chefa exclaimed. He had expected something like this, although it had been shoved to the back of his mind with the optimism that he would find everything the way he had left it. He should have known better- 60 years was too long a time to be missing without major changes.

"Okay, well..." Haikal began nervously, sitting down. The rest of the group did the same, seeing that it would probably be a long story. "It was about a year or two after you left. Laika was really heartbroken, you know that?"

Chefa blushed, and sighed sadly. "I know..."

"Anyway... you know our pack's alpha, Frigia, right?" Chefa nodded in response. Haikal continued. "Well... now that you were gone... he finally got up the nerve and asked Laika to be his mate."

Amelia gasped. "How terrible! Didn't he know that she loved Chefa?"

Haikal shook his head. "Frigia is greedy. He always hated Chefa because he thought he was weak and degrading to the pride of our pack. One year after Chefa left, Frigia declared him dead- at least as far as the pack was concerned."

"You can't declare someone dead after only a year! Especially if he's determined to reach a goal!" Zelgadis said angrily.

"Well, Frigia wanted to make sure that Laika had no reason to refuse him. You see... in our wolf clan, if an alpha male asks a female wolf to be his mate... she can't refuse. If Laika had said no, then she would have been attacked by the other wolves." Haikal replied.

"That is so UNJUST!" Amelia cried. "How could they do something like that?"

"What was her reply?" Chefa asked hesitantly.

"She said... that she would have to think about it." Haikal replied. "Obviously the other wolves took this as a 'no,' and tried to attack her, but Frigia stopped them. He said that he would allow her time to think it over. But until she decided upon an answer, she would remain an outcast."

"So he essentially cast her out until she decided to become his mate? There is so much injustice here, it's practically blasphemy!" Amelia spat.

"That wasn't all that Frigia did." Haikal continued. Amelia, Zelgadis, and Chefa looked up in surprise. "After Laika left, he began making a whole bunch of new rules- each one making his power greater, until he had complete control over our pack."

"Impossible! That can't be done!" Chefa exclaimed.

"Apparently, if you go about it the right way, it can." Haikal sighed. "The rest of the pack slowly turned from Frigia's companions, into his slaves."

"There is nothing worse than an unjust ruler!" Amelia cried. "Isn't there something someone could do?"

Haikal shook his head. "Frigia's not the pack's alpha for no reason. He's the strongest wolf around. No one in our pack can even match him. Some of the alphas from other packs tried to defeat him, but they also didn't stand a chance. He's simply too powerful..."

"I'll take him on!" Chefa exclaimed, getting up.

"What?" Haikal gasped.

"You will?" Amelia asked.

"You think you can win?" Zelgadis wondered.

"I know I can win! After all, it took so long before I could find someone who could break my curse. With my magic, Frigia doesn't stand a chance." Chefa said.

"Curse? Magic?" Haikal asked. "What all happened to you while you were gone?"

"Um, it's a reeeeally long story. I'll tell you in a while, when everything calms down, okay?" Chefa told his friend. Haikal nodded.

"I guess you're right. I can help you find Laika, if you want to talk to her."

"Please." Chefa responded looking at his old friend gratefully.

The two wolves began to leave, one taking off after the other. Amelia and Zelgadis got up, brushing the snow off their shoulders and hair where it had begun to settle, and followed behind the wolves. The snow was getting harder, and Zelgadis grabbed the hood of his cloak that he had loaned to his friend, and pulled it up over Amelia's head.

"You okay? You're not cold anymore, are you?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Zelgadis!" She assured him. "Right now we need to focus on helping out Chefa's pack! They have suffered this injustice for far too long! A true warrior of Justice would never allow such things to take place!"

Zelgadis grinned. "Well, we'd better hurry up, warrior of Justice. If we don't, we'll get left behind."

* * *

The small group followed Haikal, over rocks and boulders, wary of the quickly accumulating snow. Amelia was trying to cross a particularly large boulder, and slipped on an icy patch. She began to fall with a shriek, but Zelgadis grabbed her arm quickly, pulling her back to her feet. She clung to him tightly, still shaken from nearly falling.

"Now do you see why I don't like snow?" He asked.

"A little bit." She replied.

Haikal watched the two. "Are you sure they're not together?" He whispered to Chefa.

"Well... it's really not that simple with humans." Chefa replied. "It's kind of a lengthy process, plus the girl is a princess... so there are social specifications that come with finding her a mate..."

"That's complicated. Why does it matter as long as they love each other?" Haikal wondered.

"That's just the way humans are... you get used to it eventually." Chefa replied.

"Insane..." Haikal breathed. "You sure know a lot about humans. Did you live with humans or something?"

"Yeah, something like that." Chefa replied.

"Hang on, here is the place where I usually meet Laika. I'm not supposed to talk to her, since she is officially an outcast, but she's my sister, so I often sneak out to see her anyway..." Haikal informed them.

"That's sweet- such a bond between siblings." Amelia commented. "I wish my sister was that loyal to our family..."

"Laika!" Haikal called. "Laika? Are you here?"

There was a long pause. Then, there was a barely audible reply in the distance. "Haikal? Is that you?"

Chefa stepped back slightly, hearing the all-too-familiar voice. Haikal called out again. "Laika? Yes, it's me! And... I brought some friends!"

"Friends?" Laika's voice sounded wary. After all, she had been an outcast for a long time, and had learned not to be too open to strangers.

"Well, yes! It's a pair of humans... and Chefa!" Haikal replied.

There was a long pause. "Ch-Chefa?" Laika's voice replied. "He's come back?"

"Yeah! It's me!" Chefa called out, the nervousness apparent in his voice.

They watched the agile form of a wolf appear from the rocks below where they were standing, and move nimbly through the rocks up to the ledge where they were standing. She was clearly a very beautiful wolf, even to the humans. She looked up with eyes that were such a milky light-blue that for a moment, Amelia and Zelgadis almost thought that she was blind. But the expression on her face told them that she saw everything that was going on.

"Chefa..." She breathed. "You're alive... you've come back..."

"Yeah." was all that Chefa could choke out.

"Oh Chefa!" Laika sobbed, running up next to him happily. If wolves could cry, she probably would have. She was so happy to see him again.

"L-Laika!" Chefa gasped.

Amelia's eyes sparkled as she watched them. "They're finally reunited after all this time! Oh, isn't it beautiful, Zelgadis?" She grabbed on to the chimera's arm.

"You really are a hopeless romantic, aren't you Amelia?" He asked.

"It's not hopeless! The Justice of True Love always prevails in the end!" Amelia responded.

"You really think so?" Zelgadis wondered.

"I know so!" Amelia replied. "See? Mister Chefa and Miss Laika are a good example! Their love is strong enough that it survived all these years of separation! It certainly makes someone grateful to have the person they love always with them, right?"

"Y-yeah... I guess so." Zel replied.

Chefa and Laika had been talking- Chefa apologised, saying that he never should have left, and Laika was understanding and overjoyed to see him again. Haikal was also overjoyed to see his sister and his friend getting along like they used to.

"Laika..." Chefa was saying. "I know I can never make up for all the trouble that I put you through these past few decades... but maybe... well, I have been travelling lately... and I didn't know if you would be willing to... come with me..."

Laika's eyes sparkled. "Chefa... I..."

"Say 'no,' Laika."

The entire group gasped as they turned to face another wolf who had suddenly appeared. He was enormous- larger even than Chefa, and powerfully built.

"F-Frigia!" Laika gasped.

Chefa snarled. "I asked Laika the question- not you! You can't answer for her!"

Frigia sneered. "Maybe you did, but you must remember who is in control here. Do you really think that you have the power to refuse my demands?" The large wolf looked at the group. "And Haikal... do you know how much trouble you could be in if it was discovered that you were assisting an outcast and a rogue? I think that you wouldn't enjoy the punishment."

Haikal backed away slightly, his ears flattened against his head, and his tail between his legs. Frigia turned to Amelia and Zelgadis. "Ah, and what do we have here? A pair of humans? Quite surprising indeed- we don't have many of your kind around here at all. Usually it's just monsters who pass this way. Ah, but you're not ordinary humans, are you? Certainly the most freakish human I've ever seen..."

"What did you say?" Zelgadis yelled, as Amelia had to grab his arm to keep him from picking a fight with the wolf.

"Hang on, Zelgadis. This is my fight." Chefa said, stepping between the chimera and the opposing wolf.

"Your fight, eh? Interesting. And just how do you expect to fight me, Chefa? You don't stand a chance!" Frigia laughed. "You're just a weakling! A freak!"

"Don't... call me... a FREAK!" Chefa snarled. "The only freak here is you! Taking the wolves in your pack who are supposed to be your companions and making them your slaves? How can you consider yourself a leader! You're no leader, you're a bully!"

"Mister Chefa is right!" Amelia agreed. "A leader is supposed to work for the Justice and well-being of their people!"

"I won't stand for this either!" Zelgadis nodded, sending sharp glares at the wolf who had become his enemy by calling him a freak.

"Frigia, I challenge you!" Chefa growled. "I challenge you to a fair fight! One on one!"

"I see. A fair fight- using whatever abilities we possess to beat the other. Interesting. But there are stakes, of course. When an Alpha wolf is challenged, it is not only him, but his position that is in jeopardy. So... whoever wins this fight gets the pack..." Frigia shot a glance at Laika. "...and the girl."

"You are SO ON!" Chefa snarled.

* * *

Amelia, Zelgadis, Laika, and Haikal watched in trepidation as Chefa and Frigia began to attack one another. It was a fierce match- teeth against teeth, claw against claw.

"Why isn't Mister Chefa using his magic?" Amelia whispered to Zelgadis.

"I'm not sure. I think he wants to prove his physical strength first, before relying on magic to help him out. Guys tend to be like that, you know?" Zel replied.

"I sure do." Amelia replied, sending a pointed look at Zelgadis.

"Wh-what's that look for?" He wanted to know.

"Oh... nothing..." Amelia replied.

Chefa and Frigia fought each other viciously, neither one willing to give in. Frigia was taken by surprise at the former weakling's newfound strength.

"You've gotten stronger, Chefa." Frigia panted.

"You're pretty tough yourself." Chefa replied, also breathing hard. The physical exertion was brutal, but both were determined and neither one wanted to give up.

The wolves fought harder in an insane battle of wills. Amelia and Haikal could barely watch, while Zelgadis and Laika on the other hand were staring with rapt attention. Chefa was strong, but he was smaller, and less powerfully built than Frigia. He was holding his own, but it was apparent that he couldn't last forever. Finally, Frigia delivered a crushing blow that sent Chefa spiralling back painfully.

"Chefa!" Laika gasped.

The smaller wolf pulled himself back up. "Alright, enough of this." Chefa murmured. "Now, it's time to fight for real! FLARE ARROW!"

Chefa sent out a barrage of flaming arrows at his opponent, much to Frigia's surprise. He was too surprised to dodge, and was hit several times by the fiery onslaught.

"Wh-what is that?" Frigia demanded.

"It's magic." Chefa responded, leaping over to where his opponent lay recovering from the attack. "You said that this battle was using our own abilities, right? Well magic is one of my abilities. So it's fair game."

"Don't think... that some flashy show of magic... will defeat me!" Frigia growled, getting up. "I'll still defeat you, weakling!"

The wolves took off after one another as they had before, this time with Chefa taking over. Frigia had been physically stronger, but he had no magical capabilities. Still, Frigia managed to dodge most of Chefa's attacks, and the wolf ended up causing more damage to the mountains around him rather than his opponent.

"DUG HAUT!" Chefa roared, creating spires of earth that cornered his opponent. Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound above them. So many rocks beneath the mountainside had been displaced, that the mountain above them was beginning to collapse.

"Wh-what's going on?" Amelia gasped.

"A landslide!" Haikal exclaimed.

"All of Chefa's attacks must have triggered it." Zelgadis observed. Neither of the fighting wolves seemed to notice the chaos that was beginning to ensue around them.

"You guys!" Haikal exclaimed. "That landslide is heading for the valley where our pack is! If we don't do something, then they're going to be hurt, or worse!"

"What? The pack is in danger?" Chefa asked, turning around. Suddenly, Frigia pounced on him from behind.

"If you leave the fight, you lose. I won't lose, you hear me?" Frigia growled.

Amelia gasped. "He-he's just going to leave his pack to defend themselves against this? How horrible!"

"Chefa! Don't forfeit! Keep fighting!" Haikal yelled. "The humans and I will go to warn the pack and get them out of the valley!"

"That's right! We won't let any of the wolves get hurt! We'll defend Justice!" Amelia agreed.

"Laika, stay here and make sure that nothing happens! We'll come back with everyone!" Haikal ordered. His sister nodded, and the wolf took off down the mountain, with Amelia and Zelgadis following closely behind.

* * *

Haikal's submissive character seemed to change drastically as he took charge of the situation. He found a path down the mountain that was easy and fast for both wolves and humans, and led his new companions quickly to where the rest of the wolves resided. The several inches of snow were somewhat of a problem, but not enough to cause any major setbacks. Amelia was amazed at Haikal's leadership abilities as he addressed the wolves, told them what was going on, and ordered that they evacuate the valley as quickly as possible. The signs of the incoming landslide were enough to get them moving, but it was apparent that they respected Haikal's authority.

"We've got to get back up to where Mister Chefa and Mister Frigia are fighting! They could also be in danger due to the landslide!" Amelia said.

"Right! Haikal, take the rest of the pack to a safe place! Amelia and I will go back up the mountain to where the others are!" Zelgadis called.

"Right!" Haikal responded, taking off with a group of about twenty wolves following him.

"Now we've got to break up this fight! For the sake of Justice!" Amelia exclaimed, but Zelgadis shook his head.

"Some things just need to be fought out, Amelia. I know violence is not the answer to everything, but there is also a time when they need to solve their differences this way."

"You think so?" Amelia asked sadly.

"Yeah. But we should be there, just in case." Zel nodded, leading the two of them up the path.

* * *

When Amelia and Zelgadis finally reached the ledge that they had been on before, Laika was waiting for them- a reconciled Chefa and Frigia by her side.

Chefa and Frigia had been caught by the landslide, but Chefa had used his magic to save the both of them. It was at this point that Frigia admitted his defeat- it was dishonourable to require your opponent to save you. Frigia reluctantly turned the leadership over to Chefa, but Chefa refused it.

He said that Haikal would make a much better leader of the pack.

From what Amelia and Zelgadis had just seen, they couldn't agree more.

Chefa told the story of his search for power, his curse, and he showed them his true form- not quite human, and not quite wolf either. Some of the wolves were surprised, or even appalled, but Laika said that she loved Chefa's new form. It was a heart-warming reunion between the two of them, and Laika agreed to travel with Chefa, who decided that he would look for a way to turn Laika into a half-human like himself. It would be hard, since the person who had originally cast the spell on Chefa had already been killed by Lina... _twice_... but Chefa and Laika were determined.

Zelgadis and Amelia were happy for the wolves, and wished them well. But it was getting dark, and it would take forever to walk all the way back to the chalet. There was no way that they'd be home for dinner. But at least they could try...

Chefa just had a few words for Zelgadis before they left. "If I could give you any advice before you leave, it would be this:" The wolf-eared young man whispered to the chimera. "being a freak isn't all that bad. Leaving someone that you care about is. Don't make that mistake, alright?"

Zelgadis considered the words for a moment. "Right." He murmured. "Thanks."

"Zelgadis! Come on! Miss Lina and the others will get mad at us if we're too late!" Amelia called, waving to her companion from farther on along the path.

"R-right! Coming!" Zelgadis called, following her.

Chefa smiled as he watched them go. "I wish them both the best of luck." He murmured.

* * *

Zelgadis was not exactly wanting to ask Amelia the questions that he had been pondering as they walked, but Chefa's words were nagging at him, and he finally worked up the nerve to address her.

"Uh... Amelia?" He asked, suddenly deciding that maybe it wasn't such a good idea and he should go ahead and shut up.

"Yeah? What's up, Zelgadis?" Amelia responded. The friendly smile on her face encouraged him to continue.

"Well... you're probably going to get mad at me for asking this, but... just what exactly do you see in me?" He questioned.

Amelia paused to think it over. "What do I see in you? What do you mean by that?"

"Just... why would a beautiful, talented princess like yourself ever choose to be around a freak like me rather than someone else?" Zelgadis sighed. He'd probably get a scolding, but at least he had been honest. He knew that Amelia wouldn't want him to lie just to please her. That would be unjust.

"Well, first of all," Amelia began sternly. "let me tell you what I _don't _see in you. I don't see a freak or a monster. I don't see someone who is disappointing to be around, nor do I see someone who needs to cure anything- because that person is amazing and wonderful just the way they are! And, do you want to know what I _do_ see?"

Zelgadis sighed. "Sure, why not? That's what I asked you, isn't it?"

"I see someone who is strong, brave and determined, who never lets anything get in his way. A person who is always pursuing a goal and working harder to have a purpose in life. I see someone who is intelligent, always longing to know more about the world around him and can always share information with those less knowledgeable. I see someone who, despite outward appearances- which are not that bad to begin with- fights hard with the force of Justice in his heart! So no matter what happens, that person will never give up, and will never be defeated because he fights with a true and just heart! That is what I see in you, Zelgadis." Amelia finished, beginning to come out of her Justice-speech mode back to reality.

Zelgadis shook his head. "Well, if that's what you see, then I'd really like to know who it is that you're looking at. Because that's certainly not me."

Amelia stopped in front of him, cutting him off. She pointed at him. "I also see someone who doesn't wish to acknowledge his true virtues because he believes that he is a freak. This, of course, is a flawed and unjust view, and I shall not tolerate it!"

"Is that so?" Zelgadis sighed. He had expected an answer like that from Amelia, but was still slightly flustered by it. "Why in the world do you believe that?"

"Because it is all true!" Amelia shot back. "And I just want you to know that, just because you hate yourself, doesn't mean that everyone else has to! I. love. you. So get it through your head already!"

"You love me, huh? Really..." Zelgadis laughed incredulously as the pair began walking again. He shook his head. "You know what? I'm going to regret this, but I'll ask anyway. You don't have to answer right away- in fact, don't. Okay?"

"Um, okay." Amelia responded, confused. "What is it?"

"Well..." He kept his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground as he walked. "When we go back to Seyruun... and who knows when that'll be... if I asked you to marry me, what would you say?"

"Yes."

"I told you not to-" Zelgadis blinked. "Yes?' That's it? Just 'yes?' That's all there is to say?"

"Well, yeah. Isn't that what you wanted me to say?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah- er, no. I wanted you to say what you really thought, without trying to think of how I- or anyone else- would feel about it. Okay? It's what _you _want to say."

"Then, yes. I would still say yes. Right away." Amelia nodded. "Funny thing... I kind of thought we were already engaged, to tell you the truth."

"Already-? What would give you that idea?" Zel gasped.

"Um.. no reason. Hahahahaheheheh..." Amelia laughed nervously.

"Lovely." Zelgadis sighed. "So that's what you've thought this whole time? I guess I shouldn't be surprised..." The pair walked on for a few seconds without saying anything. Amelia looked up, and Zelgadis was pulling at his hair.

"Uh, what are you doing...?" Amelia asked. "Are you... trying to wake yourself up?"

"Well... this whole thing stopped being believable about five minutes ago, so I just figured..." He replied. Amelia reached up and grabbed a handful of his lavender hair, successfully avoiding the pointed ends, and tugged on it. Hard.

"Ow! OW! Amelia! Okay! I've got it! I'm awake! OW! LET GO ALREADY!"

Amelia reluctantly released the chimera, and he straightened up, rubbing his head painfully. "You're way stronger than you look."

"Now are you convinced that this is real?" Amelia asked.

"Either that or a nightmare..." Zel sighed. "Geez, it is getting cold- and this snow is really piling up."

"Oh, do you want this back?" Amelia asked, beginning to take off the cloak that Zelgadis had loaned her.

"N-no! You keep it!" He said defensively. "We just need to get back to the chalet as fast as possible."

"Then let's go!" Amelia exclaimed, grabbing Zelgadis' hand. "Come on!"

The chimera allowed himself to be dragged along the path through the snow. It might have been the heat generated by the increased physical activity, or it could have just been Amelia's hand, but he certainly felt warmer. "Amelia, you're crazy! You know that?" He called to her, laughing.

"You're pretty crazy yourself!" She called back also laughing.

They ran as fast as they could, talking and laughing as they went, until they finally reached Shichiro's chalet. They were happy to get out of the quickly falling snow, but also a little disappointed as well. Amelia opened the door and greeted their friends who were all sitting around the kotatsu playing a game of spades. "We're back!" She exclaimed, out of breath.

"Finally! What took you guys so long? You're late!" Lina exclaimed.

"I guess we lost track of time, not to mention being delayed by the snow." Zelgadis said, joining Amelia inside and closing the door behind him. The smile from earlier had not left his face, and Lina noticed.

"Oh my gosh, is Zel smiling? It's the forewarning of the apocalypse!" The sorceress exclaimed in mock terror.

"Haha, very funny." Zelgadis replied, scowling at Lina.

"So, I take it from your expression that you had good luck with the jewel?" Shichiro asked.

Zelgadis and Amelia exchanged a glance. "Jewel...?" Amelia asked.

"What... OH! _That_ jewel!" Zelgadis exclaimed.

"We... totally forgot about it, didn't we?" Amelia asked meekly.

"Yeah... I'd say that we did..." Zel replied.

The entire group, including the cat, fell on their faces- which was an interesting feat, considering that they were all sitting down.

Lina was the first to stand up. "You FORGOT?" She yelled. "How could you possibly forget? Just what in the world were you doing-" Her voice suddenly changed. "On second thought, scratch that last question. I have a feeling that I really don't want to know..."

"Miss Lina, we were out defending JUSTICE!" Amelia exclaimed defensively.

"Riiiight~... Justice..." Lina said, glaring at the two of them.

"Lina... I know how this must look, but you've got to hear the whole story, alright?" Zelgadis said.

"Yeah! That's right! Thanks to our help, Mister Chefa and Miss Laika are back together, and Mister Haikal is now the rightful leader of his pack!" Amelia agreed.

"Say what?" Gourry asked. "Who are all those people?"

"It's a very long story..." Zelgadis sighed.

"We've got time." Shichiro said, putting away the cards. "After all, we did nothing but play spades all day."

"And I still don't understand any of it." Gourry sighed.

"That's your fault, jellyfish-brain." Lina scolded, turning back to Amelia and Zelgadis. She was interested in hearing just what had distracted them...

* * *

(A/N: Alright, Amelia and Zel had their moment. The next chapter will be entirely Lina, Gourry, Filia, and Xellos! And maybe _one_ other character, but that's beside the point... Whatever happened to Filia and Xellos anyway? *sigh* Thanks for reading so far! :3)


	12. 12:Confessions! And the perfect hostage?

Another fast update? I've finally finished my science project, so I have done about nothing but writing today... Once again, I do not own Slayers. Anyway, enjoy.

(A/N: Well, I thought the last couple chapters were kind of pointless, but they did have romantic development and several plot hints, so it's not that bad... Now we're back to the plot again- Filia and Xellos are about encounter a surprising twist! Lina and Gourry... um, that's kind of just fluff... but whatever! :3)

* * *

**12- Confessions! And the perfect hostage?**

"Xellos, where are we going?" Filia asked as she followed closely behind her new companion- whom she didn't completely trust.

"Oh, that's a secret of course." Xellos replied, smiling.

"That does it! I'm sick of this!" Filia pulled out her mace and swung it at the monster. "If you don't tell me where we're going right now, I swear that I will-"

"Now , now Filia. Calm down. We're just trying to figure out where Phibrizzo is." Xellos replied. "If we find Phibrizzo, it will also lead us to the vessel, which we can then take for ourselves. Got it?"

"Why can't we do it the other way around? Wouldn't finding the vessel first be the fastest way?" Filia asked.

"In a word: no." Xellos replied. "Finding a monster lord is so much easier because of the astral power that he posses. I can track him easily on the astral plane... though it takes some thinking to figure out exactly where that is in this world."

"So that's why we're wandering aimlessly? Oh, joy." Filia sighed.

"It's not aimlessly! We do have a direction! It's..." Xellos seemed to think for a moment. He suddenly disappeared, and then immediately reappeared. "...that way." He finished, pointing in one direction.

"Wonderful. I'm glad you're so sure of things." Filia groaned. "Remind me never to take directions from a monster."

"Oh Filia! How could you be so mean? Do you think that _you _could do a better job?" Xellos asked angrily.

"Actually, I think I could!" Filia replied. "In fact, I think I will! I'll meet you again when we find Phibrizzo. I'll be sure to hold him off until you get there, slowpoke." She grinned teasingly at the monster, and began to walk in another direction.

"F-Filia! Hey! Wait for me! I thought we were partners!" Xellos called after her.

"What? Have you decided that I was right about the directions all along?" Filia asked condescendingly.

"N-no..." Xellos replied, his eye twitching. "In fact... fine! Go your own way! I don't care! You can get lost if you want to! Have fun! I'll be making sure that Phibrizzo doesn't get his hands on that vessel!"

"Fine then! But when I'm the one who gets the vessel and won't let you have it, then you'll be singing a different tune, you filthy monster!" Filia fumed, her tail writhing in anger.

"Suit yourself, Filia dear." Xellos said with an annoyed edge to his voice. He quickly disappeared, leaving Filia to run off angrily.

"Stupid monster! Stupid monster! Stupid monster!" She growled to herself. "Just thinking about teaming up with that guy makes my blood boil! I can't believe that I would actually agree to help him! After all, he wants to destroy the world! I can't stand him! I can't stand him!" Filia ran and ran until she had exhausted most of her anger, and was now completely lost. "Now what do I do?" She groaned. "This is all Xellos' fault! That stupid monster!"

Filia shook her head to calm herself down. "I have to focus." She reminded herself. "Now, the best way to do this is to search the area for the aura of a monster. If I can find a monster nearby, it might be Phibrizzo, or someone who can lead me to Phibrizzo. I don't need stupid Xellos to do that for me!" Filia felt pleased with herself for figuring this out on her own. She wasn't sure if there were any monsters in the area nearby, but she had to make an attempt. She closed her eyes and searched intently for any of the signs that a monster might be near. As a dragon, she had quite a good sense about monsters. Something off to her right caught her attention. "A monster..." She murmured. "There's a monster in that direction- and it's not Xellos! I can sense it!" Rushing onward, she chased after the aura that she had felt. The aura grew closer and closer, until Filia was sure that she was upon her target. Hearing footsteps around a rocky outcropping, she grinned happily. "I've got you now!" She murmured and the jumped out at her objective. "Take THAT, monster!" Filia shot a powerful attack at the monster and watched as the smoke began to clear, smiling with satisfaction at herself. Filia wasn't sure what kind of monster she should expect to see, but she definitely wasn't prepared for the shock that came to her.

"P-please miss... don't eat me... I don't taste very good..." A tiny, delirious voice responded, followed by a small thud as Filia's target fell unconscious on the ground.

Filia gasped, a stricken expression on her face. "Th-that was no monster! That was a _child_! What in the world have I done?"

Filia rushed up beside the small child, his eyes swirling. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to... It wasn't... I just thought that you-" Filia stammered, reaching to help the boy who was now unconscious. Her finger brushed up against his blue cloak, and she quickly recoiled. "N-no way..." She gasped. "He _is_ a monster!"

Standing back up, Filia examined the situation. What could she do? She had to do something about this poor boy who was obviously a monster, yet still such a small defenceless-looking child. Filia knew that looks could be very deceiving when it came to monsters, but there was no room in her pure heart to leave a helpless child alone- especially when she had been the one to attack him. Picking up the boy, she examined him closely.

_Why would a monster- especially one that looks like this- be here all alone in the mountains? Could there be some sort of evil motive behind it?_

Despite the fact that he was a monster, Filia couldn't sense any evil coming from the child. In fact, she realised that her classification of him as a monster was also slightly off the mark.

_He's not totally a monster... but some sort of cross-breed... Oh! Where's Xellos when you need him?_

Filia sighed, carrying the monster-hybrid in her arms. "Well, there's nothing left to do but take this boy with me and try to find Xellos. Certainly he would know what to do about finding a half-monster all by himself in the middle of nowhere!" Filia decided, and continued on her way, this time searching for her monster companion.

* * *

"Stupid clouds! STOP SNOWING ALREADY!" Lina yelled at the sky, waving her fist threateningly, as if she could actually do something about the weather. A strong gust of wind blew the snow in her face as it intensified.

"Um, Lina? I think you made it mad. It's snowing even harder now." Gourry observed.

"I noticed!" Lina shot back.

"Why don't we just go back to the chalet? We could sit down- you could go back to the kotatsu- and we could all have a nice cup of hot chocolate. Don't you think that's a better idea?" Gourry reasoned.

"No! I already told you that I love treasure more than I hate being cold! Amelia and Zel got totally sidetracked yesterday, but that's not going to happen to us! After all, I had the foresight to ask Shichiro where a cave was that we might find some jewels in. So... I'm going to find it no matter what! You can go back if you want to..." Lina shot the swordsman a glare.

"No way! I'm sticking with you!" He replied. "Besides, they're probably going to play that card game again, and I don't understand it at all."

"Suit yourself." Lina said, turning back to the path they were taking, examining the map that Shichiro had quickly drawn out for her. She had to shield it from the falling snow, and made sure not to drop it, as there was at least a foot and a half of the stuff on the ground already.

"The cave is over there- if we keep going straight ahead about half a kilometre, it should be on our right." Lina pointed.

"Alright! Let's go!" Gourry said, taking off ahead of the sorceress.

"Hey! Wait for me! Get back here!" Lina yelled. She rushed through the pounding snow to catch up with her friend. He slowed down his pace slightly until he was walking beside her.

"Say, Gourry? I'm impressed. You had a rare moment of intelligence this morning." Lina commented as they walked.

"Huh? I did?" He responded, earning him a whack over the head.

"Uh, yeah! You did! Remember?" Lina yelled.

...

"_I could come with the two of you as well, since I know where the cave is." Shichiro offered._

"_Oh, that's really... generous of you, Shichiro..." Lina replied._

"_But wait! You can't leave your gem collection! What if someone were to attack? You know the most about the jewels, so you'd know which ones are most valuable, and how to properly protect them! If you left, then major damage could happen!" Gourry exclaimed. The entire room looked at him in surprise. They hadn't thought about it, but it certainly made sense._

"_You know... you're absolutely right." Shichiro replied."Thanks for pointing that out, Mister Gabriev. Instead I'll draw you two a map so that you won't get lost."_

...

"Oh, you mean _that_?" Gourry asked. "I didn't think it was very smart. I just pulled some random excuse off the top of my head. For some reason, I didn't want Shichiro tagging along."

"Why?" Lina asked.

"I... I don't know." Gourry responded, causing Lina to fall head-first into the snow.

"Come on, idiot! Are you jealous or not?" She yelled.

"Huh? What?"

Lina realised what she'd yelled, and turned bright red. "W-wait, I didn't mean to say that out loud! Forget what I said, okay?"

"Um, I didn't actually hear what you said, so I can't actually forget it since I never knew what it was in the first place." Gourry responded, looking puzzled.

"You know what? Forget I said anything then." Lina replied.

"Um, okay. You said something?"

"Good job, jellyfish-brain."

* * *

"Finally! It's so good to get out of that snow! I thought we were going to die out there!" Lina sighed, sitting down on the cave floor, happy to be out of the snowstorm.

"It wasn't that bad." Gourry said, following her.

"The snow just keeps getting harder! I swear that the weather is always out to get me!" Lina fumed, brushing the snow off her shoulders.

"Like I said, maybe this was a bad idea." Gourry pointed out.

"Are you crazy? We're going to find that gem if it's the last thing we do!" Lina yelled, grabbing her partner and dragging him farther into the cave with her.

"Ow! Okay, Lina! I can walk! You can let go of me!" Gourry pleaded. "Seriously! Why are you always dragging me around?"

"I am _not_ always dragging you around." Lina replied.

"Yeah, you are. I would know. Dragging me around, calling me names, yelling at me..." Gourry was cut off as Lina whacked him over the head.

"Oh yeah, don't forget hitting me! And throwing fireballs at me, and complaining about me..."

"I do that to other people too!" Lina defended.

"Yeah, but not as much." Gourry pointed out. "What? You just like to pick on me? Not that I really mind, but still..."

"You're just easy to pick on because you're an idiot! That's all!" Lina yelled. _Not that he really minds? What the heck is that supposed to mean?_

"Shichiro's really smart, but the other day you called him an idiot and hit him on the head." Gourry pointed out, sounding slightly hurt.

"And why does that bother you?" Lina asked, flushing slightly.

"I... don't know."

Lina fell to the ground. "Huh? Hey Lina! Are you okay?" Gourry asked.

"Gourry... do you know what jealousy is?" Lina asked, picking herself up.

"Yeah, I do. Why? Is this some sort of quiz? I'm not very good at quizzes." Gourry responded.

"No! It's... never mind. Forget about it..." Lina growled. "We're getting distracted! First priority is finding that jewel! Now where could it be?" Lina let go of Gourry and marched deeper into the cave.

"Why is it that we always get into discussions, and then you cut them short right in the middle for no apparent reason! I can never finish any thoughts when you do that!" Gourry called.

"Yeah, well... life is tough." Lina called back. "Besides, you can never finish any thoughts anyway. Now let's get that jewel and get back to the chalet as fast as possible."

* * *

Filia was torn.

The kind, loving, maternal part of her brain was absolutely filled with pity for the little boy, and she wanted to do everything she could to help him in his terrible situation.

But the practical, logical part of her brain was telling her that he was a monster, and that it could all easily be a lie.

"So, let me get this straight..." Filia began, looking into the boy's jade-green eyes. He looked so weak and harmless, that her affectionate side began to win out over logic. "...your parents abandoned you, and you think that they may be in danger... so you ran away to go find them... but got lost along the way?"

"Y-yes..." The boy replied, tears threatening in his eyes. Filia grabbed him and held him close.

"Don't cry now. Everything is going to be alright. You'll be just fine. Calm down. It's okay." Her calm demeanour seemed to sooth the little child, and he looked up at her with a grateful expression.

"Thank you, lady. You're such a nice person. Do you have any kids?" The boy asked.

Filia thought for a moment about her own, unhatched dragon egg that had been left in Jillas and Gravos' capable hands. She smiled at the memory. "Yes." She replied. "But he's still an egg. He hasn't hatched yet."

"He's very lucky." The boy responded, looking at Filia warmly. "You'd make a good mom."

That was one of the nicest compliments that Filia had ever received, especially from such a little child. There was still a numb wariness about the half-monster in the back of Filia's mind, but she thought nothing of it. This child was simply too kind and straightforward to be lying to her.

"Well, my name is Filia." The dragon said to the boy who was now sitting in her lap. "Do you have a name?"

"Zara." The boy replied. "Filia is a really pretty name."

"Thank you." She replied. "You said that your parents must be in danger for them not to come back for you. Are they good parents?" Filia asked.

"The best." Zara smiled. "They're really nice- well, most of the time- and they're incredibly brave and strong and smart- mostly smart anyway- and I love them a whole lot. I wish they were here right now." He looked as if he might cry again.

"Now now, it's alright!" Filia tried to calm him down again. "I know I'm not your mom, but I'll try my best to help you, okay? What does your mom usually do when you're feeling down like this."

Zara thought for a moment. "Well, if she's in a bad mood, she'll tell me to suck it up and deal with it."

"What?" The surprised look on Filia's face was evident.

"Well... that's only when she's in a bad mood!" Zara assured the dragon, neglecting to mention that she was _usually_ in a bad mood. "If she's _not_ in a bad mood, she'll tell me that it's going to be alright, just like you did. And if she's in a good mood she might give me a hug and swing me around like she normally does. And sometimes, when nobody else is around, she sings songs too. She has the prettiest voice in the whole world!"

Filia calmed down slightly. "I see. She sounds like a nice person."

"Yeah, she is. I get lost a lot, and she gets mad at me. But it's only because she's worried about me. And now I'm worried about her, but I can't find her..." Zara sighed.

"Well, don't worry. I'll help you out." Filia said. She knew that saving the world was a major priority, but she couldn't leave this child all by himself. _I don't need Xellos after all! _She thought to herself. _I'm just fine on my own!_

"Oh! Filia! There you are! Look, I'm sorry about before- you really didn't have to get so upset, you know."

Great. Just when she decided that she didn't need him, look who shows up.

Filia turned around. "You have the nerve to come back here after that? I'm doing just fine on my own, thank you very much! I'm helping out this kind, sweet, adorable little-"

"Hi Xellos!" Zara got up and waved, smiling happily at the purple-haired monster.

_Oh, you have got to be kidding me... _Filia gasped. _Don't tell me that this kid is a friend of..._

"Zara? No way! What in the world are you doing _here_ of all places?" Xellos exclaimed.

"Haha~ That's a secret!" Zara laughed.

Filia nearly fainted.

"Oh, really? I see that Lorelei's been working on you!" Xellos laughed back.

"Yeah! She helped me make chocolates a few days ago just like you taught her!" Zara grinned at the memory.

"Were they good?" Xellos asked.

"They blew up the entire kitchen!" Zara exclaimed excitedly.

"Then they _were_ good!" Xellos replied. "But how in the world did you get out here? Do your babysitters know about this?"

"No." Zara replied sheepishly. "I told Zander that I was going to be studying magic with Sylphiel, and I told Sylphiel that I was going to be playing a game with Zander, and I left before either of them could figure out that I wasn't with the other one."

"Amazing! That's a wonderful plan! I'm impressed! Was it your idea?" Xellos asked.

"Yeah! I thought it up all by myself! Lorelei was so proud of me!" Zara enthused.

Filia watched the conversation, her eye twitching. _And I was getting along so well with him too... _She thought sadly. _I should have know not to trust a monster..._

* * *

"Hey Lina? Now do you believe me when I say that this was a bad idea?" Gourry asked.

"Shut up and _run_, jellyfish brains!" Lina yelled back. "That stupid Shichiro neglected to mention that this jewel was CURSED! We've got to get out of here!"

Lina and Gourry were rushing down the cave passage, trying to escape an uncountable number of demonic spirits that were guarding the jewel that they had tried to steal.

So much for that idea...

"Lina... I... think we've... lost them..." Gourry gasped, stopping to catch his breath.

"That's a relief..." Lina sighed, looking back to see if they were still being followed. It appeared as if they were not. "I guess those things will only attack you if you get close to the jewel. Aww... and it was so cool looking too..." Lina sulked. "Well, the cave entrance is just up ahead, so let's just get out of here and head back to the chalet. If we're lucky, we'll be back in time for dinner and some hot co-"

Lina was cut off in the middle of her sentence by the sight that they encountered at the entrance of the cave. The sorceress stood, dumbstruck looking outside.

"Wh-where.." She began. "WHERE THE HECK DID ALL THIS SNOW COME FROM?"

The little snowstorm that they had trekked through that morning had turned into an intense blizzard, with high winds that blew snow all over the cave entrance.

"Um... from the sky?" Gourry ventured. Lina whacked him over the head.

"Yeah, I figured that! But seriously? It's got to be at least three feet deep now!" She exclaimed.

"What do we do? Do we try to go back through this?" Gourry asked. "I seriously don't think we can."

"This stinks! We're stuck here now." Lina sighed, sitting down. "I guess we'd better make ourselves comfortable..."

"Oh! We can play a game!" Gourry exclaimed.

"A game?" Lina asked irritably. "What sort of game?"

"I don't know... you were giving me a quiz earlier. What about that? I think it was something about jealousy..." Gourry said thoughtfully.

"That wasn't really a..." Lina's voice trailed off. "Say, do you know why it is that you dislike Shichiro so much?"

"Oh, is this question two? Let me think... no, not really." Gourry responded, smiling.

"Come on, think! What about him makes you upset?" Lina pressed.

"Um... I don't like it when he's acting super-polite and nice to you... and when you hit him and call him an idiot, I get upset too..." Gourry paused for a moment. "Say, what kind of quiz is this anyway? These are weird questions."

"It's not a quiz, idiot." Lina replied.

"Then what's with all the questions?" Gourry asked.

"Just forget it!" Lina yelled. "Do you think that maybe Shichiro is making you jealous?"

"Uh, I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. Do you think so?" Gourry asked curiously.

"Well..." Lina blushed. "I guess... you _do_ know that he's not going to steal me or anything, right?"

"Yeah, I know, but still..."

_WHACK!_

"H-hey! Lina! What was _that_ for?"

"Yeah, but still?' What kind of answer is THAT?" Lina fumed. "That's a pretty casual answer if you ask me!"

"It was an honest answer!" Gourry defended.

"Gourry..." Lina's voice trailed off. "Listen... I need to know something..."

"What? What's wrong? Is it part of the quiz?" Gourry asked.

"NO! It's... you act like... you love me or something... Do you?" Lina asked, sort of regretting it. But she wanted to know.

There were a few moments of silence, and then... Gourry started laughing.

"Hahaha~ Lina! Seriously? After all the stuff that you've put me through?"

Lina blushed and felt incredibly stupid. She wanted to go run and hide somewhere, but Gourry wasn't finished.

"I mean... with everything that we've been through together, honestly, how could I _not_ be in love with you?"

"Wait... what?" Lina gasped.

_WHACK! _

"Could you please make some sense for once, you idiot?" Lina growled.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Gourry wanted to know.

"What do I mean? What do_ you_ mean?" Lina exclaimed.

"Well... I guess... to go through all the crap that you've put me through... a person would either have to be head-over-heels in love, or completely insane... granted that I might be a little bit of both, but..."

"I'll say!" Lina sighed. "So... I've got one more question."

"Sure! I think I've done pretty well on this quiz so far!" Gourry enthused.

"Why haven't you told me this yet?"

Gourry looked at Lina, puzzled. "Huh? I thought you knew..."

"And just how the heck would I know?" Lina fumed.

"Well... I don't know. You once said something about it... way back after that crazy mess in Sairaag... remember? Something about people who care about each other, and protecting and stuff..."

Lina remembered. She had been talking to her little apprentice Zara, after he (and the entire world) were almost destroyed.

"_Of course. I love you, silly. And when you love someone a whole lot, you always stay with them, to help them out, and protect them." Lina grinned. "Why do you think I can never get rid of this guy?" She motioned playfully at Gourry._

"And that made you think that... oh, you idiot..." Lina sighed. She moved to sit down next to Gourry. "You know what? You've done a lot of stupid things in your life- and I mean a lot- but I think I have figured out the single most stupid thing you've ever done."

"And what would that be?" Gourry asked.

Lina sneered at him. "Making me fall in love with you." She said. "Because now you're stuck with me... and there's nothing you can do about it! AHAHAHAHA~!" Lina grabbed Gourry in a headlock and began laughing maniacally.

"H-hey!" Gourry choked, wrenching himself from Lina's grasp. "That's only if you can catch me first!" He took off running toward the other end of the cave.

"Get back here! Don't you dare try to run away from me, Gourry Gabriev! You hear? GET BACK HERE!" Lina ran after Gourry, quickly tackling him to the ground. They landed in a heap, both of them laughing.

"You know..." Gourry said, after their laughter had died down. "I joke about it... but there's really no one else in the world that I'd rather be stuck with."

Lina grinned, waving her finger tauntingly. "Sorry, but flattery will get you nowhere, my friend."

"Really? What if I told you that you're the most amazing, beautiful, adorable, super-awesome person that I've ever met? And that's saying something, because I've met a lot of people!"

Beautiful, adorable, _and_ super-awesome. Gourry had certainly covered all of his bases.

"Well... maybe if it was as nice as that... I'd make an exception." Lina got up from where she had the swordsman pinned to the ground.

"Thank you." He replied, getting up as well. Gourry stared out at the blizzard outside the cave. "Um... it looks almost like it's calmed down some. Do you think that we should try to get back the chalet now?"

"Ah... I think we can wait 'til it calms down a bit more." Lina replied. "I mean... it's not like we're going to starve to death in the immediate future..." She moved closer to Gourry and grabbed his hand. "...and we're certainly not going to freeze to death."

He smiled at her. "That's fine with me! You want to play some more quiz games? Those are kind of fun!"

"Sounds good!" Lina replied, sitting down again with Gourry beside her. "Okay, I have a good one for you! What question can you ask over and over all day, get totally different answers each time, and all of them be completely right?"

Gourry thought for a minute. "Um... how long is it until dinner?"

"What?" Lina responded.

"Well, you could ask how long it is until dinner, and every time it would be a different amount of time until you eat... so..."

Lina shook her head in incredulity. "The answer was supposed to be 'what time is it?' But you know what? Your answer works just as well!"

"Alright! I'm smart!" Gourry exclaimed happily.

"Don't press your luck, jellyfish-brain." Lina replied, smiling back at him. "You know... what you said earlier got me thinking about Zara. I wonder if he's doing okay."

"Yeah, me too." Gourry agreed. "I hope he doesn't miss us too much. I'd hate for him to be lonely..."

"Ah, don't worry about it! He's probably having so much fun right now, that he's forgotten all about us!" Lina asserted.

"I don't know Lina... you're pretty hard to forget..." Gourry observed.

"And just what do you mean by _that_?" Lina growled.

"I meant it in a good way! A very good way!" Gourry defended.

"You'd better have!" Lina tried to sounds threatening, but ended up laughing instead.

* * *

"X-Xellos... you can't be serious... we can't use Zara-chan as a hostage!" Filia gasped. Xellos had told her the long story behind Zara and his connection with Lina and the others. He was now talking strategically with her, while Zara was already fast asleep. They also had to take shelter from the snowstorm, but it certainly didn't confine them the way it did normal humans.

"Think about it, Filia dear! If we have this kid, then we can get Miss Lina to do just about anything for us!" Xellos replied.

"That's why it's wrong! We're preying on her maternal affections, and as a fellow adoptive mother, I cannot stand for that!" Filia growled.

Xellos seriously doubted that Lina Inverse had any feelings that could actually be labelled 'maternal affections,' but Filia was firm in her belief that it would be wrong to hold the boy hostage.

"Come on, Filia dear. You've got to think about what's at stake here!" Xellos implored. "This may be the easiest way to get Miss Lina to fight for the sake of the world! Filia, please..."

Filia could feel herself beginning to agree with Xellos, and she hated it. He was always holding the sake of the world over her head, and he could manipulate her with that as much as they could manipulate Lina with Zara.

"Alright Xellos..." She sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing... and I hope you know that I'm not happy about it!"

* * *

(A/N: I didn't originally plan to have Zara in this story, but he ended up in it anyway. Haha~ So now Xellos has a hostage, and Filia's not happy about it... :3)


	13. 13: No backing down! Who's in danger?

This will be my last update of 2010.*sniff* I'm wishing a Happy New Year to everyone. And I do not own Slayers. That's right. Now do enjoy the story.

* * *

**13- No backing down! Who's in danger?**

"Thanks so much for helping me find Lina and Gourry!" Zara exclaimed happily.

"Oh, it's no problem." Xellos laughed in reply. "We're very close- I'll bet that we'll find them very soon! At least I hope..."

"I hope so too!" Zara agreed.

Xellos continued on ahead, while Zara walked beside Filia. He had taken quite a liking to the dragon, and clung to her almost as closely as he normally clung to Lina. Filia like the boy's company, but she also felt very sorry for him- after all, what kind of person used such a sweet little child as a hostage?

"Zara-chan... you do know that you're supposed to be a hostage, right?" Filia murmured.

"A hostage? What's that?" Zara asked.

"Well... it's like..." Filia tried to think of how to explain it. "You see, Xellos wants something... Anyway, he wants to use you to get the thing that he wants."

Zara looked puzzled. "Why doesn't he just ask for the thing?"

"Well... he's tried. But it's not something that your friends would give away so easily." Filia said.

"Why?"

"Uh, because they don't want Xellos to get it."

"Is Xellos not supposed to have it?" Zara asked.

"Not really... no, he's not supposed to have it. But he's trying to keep it away from someone who is supposed to have it even less... does this make any sense?" Filia explained.

"No sense at all." Zara replied, wearing one of Gourry's baffled looks.

"Right..." Filia sighed. It was definitely a tough situation to explain to a four-and-a-half-year-old child. Suddenly, Xellos appeared between the two of them. Filia jumped back suddenly and Zara yelped in surprise. The trickster priest didn't even seem to care about the shock that he'd given his travelling companions.

"I've found them." was all he said.

* * *

"Do you have any nines?"

"Dang it! How'd you know I was about to ask for yours, Gourry?"

"Because I saw that look on your face when you drew that card."

"Oh yeah, well do you have any twos?"

"Nope. Go fish."

Lina sighed, and drew another card off the top of the stack. They were sitting around the kotatsu playing cards (a game that Gourry actually understood,) and Lina was actually sharing the blanket for once.

By the time they'd gotten back, the rest of the group was fast asleep. Having napped in the cave once or twice while they were waiting for the storm to subside, the couple wasn't really tired. Instead, they raided the kitchen, devoured most of the food, made themselves some hot chocolate, and played cards. Lina was beginning to get annoyed, as Gourry had already beaten her twice. Out of four times. And now he was winning again.

"How the heck did you get so good at this stupid game?" Lina grumbled.

"Practice." Gourry replied. "Plus I know my opponent well. Card games are like swordfighting- if you can easily read your opponent's expressions and thoughts, then you'll have the upper hand."

"Why are you so stupid at some things, and so smart at others?" Lina wondered incredulously. She'd never in her entire life heard anyone compare a game of cards to fighting.

"I don't know." Gourry replied. "Got any fours?"

"DANG IT! HOW DO YOU DO THAT?" Lina fumed, handing over the card. She'd never been so easily beaten at cards before- even if it was just a child's game.

Gourry just shrugged and laughed. Some slight movement on the couch caught Lina's eye.

"Good morning, Amelia." She said.

"Hmm...? Miss Lina? Mister Gourry? You guys came back...?"

"Of course we came back! What do we look like, the kind of freaks who'd rather spend the night in some random cave than trek a few miles in the snow? Honestly..." Lina replied.

"Haha, right. Sorry." Amelia laughed. "Uh, but... Miss Lina! You're actually sharing!"

"What? Sharing?" Lina asked.

"The kotatsu." Amelia pointed. "You never let anyone sit under it with you, but now you're sharing with Mister Gourry. That's awfully nice of you."

Lina blushed. "Wh-what? Can't I be nice to my friends once in a while and _not _draw suspicion? I mean, I never said anything to you about sharing the couch!"

Lina pointed to where Amelia was sitting. Zelgadis was sitting beside her with a book still open in his lap. It appeared as if he had fallen asleep while reading. Amelia had been asleep on his shoulder.

"Sorry! I was just making a comment!" Amelia defended. She gently nudged the chimera next to her. "Hey. Mister Zelgadis. Wake up. It's morning."

"Hmmm? Amelia? What?" He began to wake up. Zelgadis suddenly noticed the book in his lap, and looked around. "Huh? D-did I fall asleep while reading? I was going to put my book away before I fell asleep..." He was really more upset about falling asleep next to Amelia, but he couldn't exactly voice that at the moment, with Lina staring at him. She had enough to pick on him for at the moment anyway.

"G'morning, Zel. It certainly looks like you slept well last night." Lina said, grinning mischievously.

Zelgadis blushed, trying to figure out how to respond. "S-so what if I did?" He asked. "Anyway, I'm not the one sharing the kotatsu!"

Lina's face turned red to match Zel's. "What are you trying to get at anyway? Honestly, we're across the table from each other! Not right next to each other like _some people_!"

"Lina, I don't see why you're getting so worked up about it." Gourry began. "I mean, back at that cave, there were plenty of times when_ you_ fell asleep on _my_ sho-"

_WHACK!_

"-Ow! Ow! Lina! That hurts!"

"Your head's going to hurt even worse if you don't shut up, idiot!" Lina growled. Zelgadis started laughing, and that only helped to make Lina even more angry. "I said shut up already! Didn't you hear me!"

"My, my, what's all the yelling about first thing in the morning?" Shichiro laughed, joining the group from his bedroom. Lina glared at him.

"And just what do_ you_ find so funny?" She fumed.

"J-just the fact that you're yelling! That's all! I'm simply amazed that you people never run out of things to yell about." He replied. "So... how did your gem search go? Did you find it?"

"Oh, we found it alright." Lina replied coolly. Suddenly, she violently grabbed Shichiro by the collar of his shirt. "But you kind of forgot to mention that it was CURSED!"

"C-cursed?" Shichiro gasped. "M-Miss Lina Inverse, I had no idea-"

"Those demons did not seem very happy about us trying to steal their jewel." Gourry agreed.

"I am so very sorry that I put you through that kind of ordeal! I really didn't think that-"

"You can shut up with the fake remorse now." Pokota said pointedly.

The group turned to look at the stuffed animal, which they had all assumed to be still asleep.

"Mister Pokota! How long have you been awake?" Amelia asked.

"This whole time." Pokota replied. "I was awake when Lina and Gourry got their hot cocoa this morning."

"Y-you were awake then? Why the heck didn't you say anything?" Lina gasped.

"What was there to say?"

"You could have told us that you were there!" Lina fumed. She was trying to remember whether she had made any comments that she assumed Gourry would be the only one to hear. Looking over at the stuffed animal, she realised that it might not have mattered anyway. He was being awfully quiet, and his eyes looked sort of distant, as if he wasn't quite paying attention to what was going on.

"Well, that's okay, but you need to let people know when you're around, Mister Pokota. Otherwise that would be like eavesdropping, which is rather... unjust..." Amelia commented, blushing slightly. Lina noticed the princess' expression.

"And how often do _you_ eavesdrop on people, Amelia?" Lina asked.

"N-never on purpose!" Amelia defended.

"How can you eavesdrop by accident?" Lina asked. "I just _accidentally_ happened to overhear that whole conversation?"

"Well, if I happen to walk by a room, and they just happen to be talking about me..." Amelia admitted. "I guess I might stay and listen... it's very, very unjust though..."

Lina laughed. "So... the self-proclaimed defender of Justice is given to eavesdropping, eh? Hilarious!"

Zelgadis put his arm defensively around Amelia. "Oh, and don't tell us that you don't do your share of eavesdropping,_ Lina_."

"That's different." Lina replied.

"How so?" Zelgadis responded.

"Well... um..." Lina thought for a moment. "Hey! Shichiro! What are we having for breakfast?"

"Don't change the subject!" Zel growled.

"I don't know. What would you like for breakfast, Miss Lina Inverse?" Shichiro asked.

"Let's do pancakes. Do you have pancakes?" Lina questioned.

Shichiro started for the kitchen. "Pancakes, coming right up!" He enthused.

"Yay! Pancakes!" Gourry exclaimed. "I'll bet I can eat more pancakes than you can!"

"Oh yeah? I'll bet not!" Lina shot back. "Yo! Pokota! We're having a pancake eating contest! You want to join us?" She felt sure that the prospect of an eating contest would snap the stuffed animal right out of whatever bad mood he was in.

"No thanks, I'll pass. I'm not really in the mood to eat right now..." Pokota sighed.

Lina stared at Pokota in concern. "Was he like this yesterday?" She asked Amelia.

"A little bit. I think he's gotten worse." Amelia replied. "He started playing cards with us in the morning right after you left, but he seemed to lose interest throughout the day."

"I see..." Lina looked with unease at the stuffed animal. She wondered what in the world was making him act so... strange. Lina questioned what might have happened to him that would cause such an odd change in personality. The problem was that Pokota seemed to fluctuate between his normal personality, and this strange, depressed mood that he was sometimes in. It was the enormous change that concerned Lina as much as Pokota's strange condition.

"What do you guys want on your pancakes?" Shichiro called from the kitchen.

"Syrup!"

"Chocolate chips!"

"Fruit would be nice."

"Everything you can fit on there!"

Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, and Lina responded at the same time. Shichiro leaned in through the doorway. "_What_?" He asked.

Each person repeated their orders. "Got it!" Shichiro replied. "Pokota, what do you want on yours?"

"I... don't care for pancakes. Thank you, though." The stuffed animal answered.

"Uh, alright. That's fine." Shichiro said.

Lina reached over and grabbed Pokota, shaking him violently. "You! Are! Being! So! DEPRESSING!" She yelled. "EAT SOME PANCAKES, DARN YOU!"

"Now, now, Miss Lina Inverse. Pokota doesn't have to eat pancakes if he doesn't want to." Shichiro called from the kitchen. "Remember, the less he eats, the more left for you and Gourry."

Lina dropped the stuffed animal. "Oh snap, he's right. I'm sorry, Pokota! You can just go back over to your little corner and sulk! It's alright with us!"

"I am not _sulking_." Pokota replied indignantly.

"Then what would you say that you're doing?" Lina asked.

"Planning." Pokota said.

"Planning what?" Lina demanded.

"That's none of your business, Lina." Pokota said with a glare. He levitated up and perched on the top of the vacant armchair.

Lina watched him with a suspicious look on her face. _Geez, if he'd been his regular self, he wouldn't have called me by my name. He'd have called me flatty or some other derogatory term. What the heck is that little animal up to anyway?_

* * *

"So... what's on the agenda today?" Shichiro asked, as they watched Lina and Gourry still devouring pancakes. All the others had finished eating long ago. Amelia had managed to persuade Pokota to drink a glass of orange juice, but that was all.

"I'm not sure." Zelgadis replied, staring down at his cup of coffee. "The snowstorm has calmed down, but there's still way too much snow on the ground for us to do anything... and I think everyone is sick of card games by now."

"That's an understatement." Gourry said.

"We could play a board game or something..." Amelia offered.

"That sounds fine. But what board games do we have around here?" Lina asked.

"I've got a checkerboard. That's always a fun game." Xellos replied.

"Yeah, checkers is nice, but that's only for two- XELLOS!" Lina didn't notice who it was that had replied to her question.

"Well hello there, Miss Lina. Nice seeing you. It's been much too long since we last met." Xellos said with a smile.

Lina and Gourry dropped their pancakes, and stood up quickly. The rest of the group stood up as well.

"Xellos! What is it about you that loves to pop up at the most random moments?" Zelgadis yelled.

"Well, it's more fun that way. I do love to make a dramatic entrance, although it's even more fun to see people react to me when they don't even know I'm there!" Xellos replied.

"I guess you can pop up wherever you want to when you're travelling alone." Lina said.

"Oh, but I'm not travelling alone! I've actually got some travelling companions helping me out." Xellos replied.

"And where are these 'travelling companions?'" Lina demanded.

"That's a secret." Xellos grinned. "They can't teleport, so they're waiting for me to get them. I thought I could make more of a stealthy entrance if I came alone. After all, dragons can be so noisy."

"Dragons? Are you talking about Miss Filia?" Amelia asked.

"What other dragon could I be referring to?" Xellos laughed.

"So you've kidnapped Filia?" Zelgadis asked.

"Of course not!" Xellos replied. "She is willingly working with me for the sake of the world."

"The sake of the world? But I thought you wanted to destroy the world?" Lina growled.

"Well yes, I do. You see, Filia and I have two different final objectives, but both can be achieved by one thing- obtaining the item that we're after. Once we get it, Filia will probably fight me for it, but we work together with that understanding." Xellos informed them.

"Y-you can't have the vessel! We won't let you!" Shichiro yelled.

"Suit yourself. It looks like I'll have to fight you for it after all." Xellos replied. He suddenly disappeared.

"Wh-where did he go?" Gourry asked.

"Quick! We've got to get downstairs! He's going to target the gem collection!" Amelia gasped.

"You're right!" Shichiro said, rushing toward the stairs.

"Don't leave us behind!" Pokota called, flying after him.

"Come on you guys!" Lina added, rushing downstairs. "We can't let Xellos get that vessel! If only we knew which one it was!"

* * *

To their surprise, he was not in the basement when they got there. Lina looked around warily.

"You guys, I think that we should start by gathering all the gems that we think are especially suspicious! That way, if Xellos shows up, some of us can distract him while another group makes a quick exit with the gems- and hopefully save the vessel!"

"Good idea!" Shichiro said, beginning to grab jewels off the shelves. He would pick a few, and pass others by, but he really seemed to be contemplating them.

"We don't have time for all this thinking!" Lina yelled. "Just grab some random ones and hope that we get lucky!"

"No time for thinking? That's quite sad, Miss Lina." Xellos teased, appearing behind her. "I'd think you would be smarter than that."

"M-Miss Lina!" Filia gasped. Lina turned around to see the monster and the dragon standing together. Xellos had his normal, mischievous smile on his face, but Filia looked very upset.

"Miss Filia! How could you team up with a monster like Mister Xellos?" Amelia gasped.

"Please... you have to understand... there's so much more to the story than you guys know!" Filia pleaded.

"More to the story? We know that Xellos wants this vessel in order to incarnate the Lord of Nightmares and destroy the world! What more is there to understand?" Lina shot back.

"B-but... I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen! Please Miss Lina, the vessel is in danger, and..." Filia continued.

"Yeah! In danger from _you_!" Lina yelled. "Look, we're not giving you this thing no matter what sob story you throw at us! We're not selling out Shichiro! You're supposed to kill him, right?"

Filia couldn't lie. "Yes, we are... but Miss Lina, he-"

"The that's all we need to know!" Gourry exclaimed. Even if he wasn't all that friendly toward Shichiro, he couldn't let Xellos and Filia kill someone who had been so nice to them- and made them pancakes! "We're not going to let you!"

"Oho~ Really? I have something that I think will make you a bit more willing to... ah... _negotiate_ things, Gourry."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Allow me to elaborate." Xellos replied, smiling. "You see, fighting you is going to be no good. It's not that I think I can't win, but that it would be too much effort for my liking. So I'm offering you an ultimatum instead. That person over there" Xellos pointed to Shichiro. "is not the only one whose life I am willing to take here."

"Wh-what?" Lina gasped. "Just who else are you-"

Xellos disappeared, and suddenly reappeared with a little boy by his side. Zara looked around curiously.

"Huh? Is this where... oh! Lina! Gourry!" He began to run toward them, but Xellos grabbed the back of his shirt collar, causing the boy to choke momentarily.

Lina had not expected Zara to be dragged into this ordeal- that was the whole reason behind leaving him in Sairaag. Her heart almost stopped when she saw Xellos grab the boy.

"Zara! You let go of him, Xellos! LET GO!" Lina screamed. Gourry had to grab her by the arm to keep her from doing anything rash that could endanger the boy even more.

"Xellos! What are you doing?" Zara whined. "You told me you'd help me find Lina and Gourry!"

"Zara's right, Xellos! This is wrong! Let him go!" Filia pleaded. "You promised him, didn't you?"

Lina was surprised, but grateful to see that Filia was taking their side in this matter. Unfortunately, the dragon's words had no effect on the monster.

"I did promise him that I'd return him to his parents, but I never specified the circumstances under which I'd allow it." Xellos replied, sending a violet glare at Filia. He placed his hand on Zara's shoulder, and the boy quickly fell unconscious.

"Zara-chan!" Amelia gasped.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!" Lina demanded.

"Not much. Just a simple sleeping spell." Xellos replied. "You see, if he stayed conscious, he would probably struggle, and I might end up hurting him accidentally. I don't intend to hurt him at all... so long as you follow my rules, that is." Xellos pulled the boy closer to him, placing his staff against Zara's neck threateningly.

"Y-your rules?" Lina choked.

"Of course. I'll leave the boy here unharmed, as long as you allow me to take _Shichiro_ and the vessel. is that an acceptable trade-off?" Xellos smiled.

"C-come on, Xellos! You're just bluffing!" Lina accused. "You wouldn't really hurt Zara! Think of how your partner Lorelei would feel! Zara is her best friend!"

Xellos nodded. "Of course. I have no doubt of my partner's affections for the boy. But you must understand that this situation is bigger than we are. Sacrifices must be made. Take Filia- she sacrificed her very pride as a member of the dragon race and stooped so low as to team up with a filthy monster like me, all just to protect the world! Now are you so sure that I'm bluffing?"

Lina stepped back slightly, clenching her fist. "Y-you..." She turned to the rest of the group. "We can't let him hurt Zara!"

"Lina, are you nuts?" Zelgadis growled. "You want him to kill Shichiro and get his hands on the vessel? There's no way we can let you do that!"

"Of course I don't want that to happen, Zel!" Lina shot back. "But just what are we supposed to do? Have you forgotten? He has my son!"

Gourry stepped back slightly, hearing what Lina said. Zara had lost his real parents, so he considered Lina and Gourry to be his parents now. But technically, and according to Lina, he was her apprentice- and that was it. For Lina to address the boy as her son only meant one thing.

Someone was in very deep trouble.

"Oh, you're fighting yourselves now? How funny!" Xellos laughed.

"It's not funny Xellos! Please release Zara right now!" Filia pleaded.

"Lina! Calm down and listen! I'm going to get Zara back, but you're going to have to trust me, alright?" Gourry called.

Lina looked up at him ins surprise. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"You, Amelia, and Shichiro take the jewels and get out of here as fast as you can! In fact, go to that cave from the other day- the one with the cursed jewel! Zel, Pokota, and I will stay here and get Zara back! We'll meet you there! But you've got to hurry!"

Lina knew that Gourry's plan was a good one, but she hated the thought of being separated from him and Zara. "G-Gourry..." She stammered. "Alright... but make sure that you and Zara get back in one piece. If you don't ... then I'll... do something so horrible, you'll regret it forever! Okay?"

"Of course." Gourry nodded. "Now get out of here! Hopefully you have the vessel with you!"

Lina nodded, and motioned for Amelia and Shichiro to follow her.

"Be safe, Mister Gourry, Mister Pokota... Zelgadis..." Amelia said, locking eyes with the chimera before following Lina and Shichiro up the stairs.

"Uh oh... are you really running away? That's not very brave of you." Xellos teased. He handed the unconscious Zara over to Filia. "I suppose that I need to follow you-"

"Not going to happen!" Gourry yelled, jumping in front of the monster with the replica sword of light blazing threateningly.

"That's right! You've got to fight us first!" Zelgadis agreed, with his sword also drawn.

"How sad. After all, both of my targets are gone... but I suppose I could humour you and give you a fight. After all, with no vessel to protect, I don't have to worry about holding back with my attacks." Xellos glared at them, grinning. "Are you ready for this?"

"So they did take the vessel with them..." Zelgadis murmured to himself. "That narrows things down significantly."

"I am! Xellos, I challenge you!" Pokota yelled, stepping forward.

"What? Are you crazy? You and Xellos?" Gourry gasped. "You don't even have a weapon!"

"I don't need a weapon!" Pokota yelled. "I'll fight you myself! One on one!"

Filia gasped. _What on earth does that stuffed animal think he's doing? _She wondered.

Xellos grinned. "Sounds like fun, stuffed animal."

* * *

(A/N: Okaaaaaay~ Ladies and gentlemen, Pokota has finally lost it. *sigh* What is to become of our stuffed animal friend? Ah well... Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks for reading! :3)


	14. 14: Aftermath! More New Plans!

I just realised that I haven't updated this story since last year! (Haha~) Hope everyone had a Happy New Year! :3 I do not own Slayers or the characters. But I am having a really good time writing this story!

* * *

**14- ****Aftermath! New Plans!**

"Xellos, I challenge you!" Pokota yelled, stepping forward.

"What? Are you crazy? You and Xellos?" Gourry gasped. "You don't even have a weapon!"

"I don't need a weapon!" Pokota yelled. "I'll fight you myself! One on one!"

Filia gasped. _What on earth does that stuffed animal think he's doing? _She wondered.

Xellos grinned. "Sounds like fun. Let's go, stuffed animal."

Gourry, Zelgadis, and Filia watched in shock as Xellos and Pokota began fighting.

"Come on, monster! I'll bet you can't even score one hit against me! FIREBALL!" Pokota fired an attack directly at Xellos. The monster allowed himself to get hit and was still standing.

"Hah! You thought that attack could do damage to me? Really?" Xellos teleported behind Pokota. "I'll bet that's not the best you can do."

"Oh yeah? ELMIKIA LANCE!" Pokota shot another powerful attack, and this time Gourry and Zel had to duck to get out of the way.

"Pokota! What on earth do you think you're doing?" Zelgadis demanded.

"I'm fighting Xellos! What does it look like?" Pokota growled.

"But Pokota! You shouldn't provoke him like that! You'll get hurt!" Gourry exclaimed.

"I've yet to see him fire any attacks!" Pokota defended. He turned to Xellos. "How are you going to defeat me without attacking? You're certainly not good at this!"

"If you want to provoke me into attacking you, I'm afraid that this isn't the way to do it." Xellos said, waving his finger teasingly.

"Shut up and fight me!" Pokota demanded. "DAMU BRAS!"

Xellos dodged the attack. "Huh? Were you even trying to hit me?" He teased. "Honestly, I'm not going to attack you unless I actually feel threatened! Right now... well..."

"Then I'll threaten you enough so that he have to attack me!" Pokota responded. "_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond-"_

"He's going to use a Dragon Slave?" Zelgadis gasped.

"What does he think he's doing?" Gourry asked.

"Uh oh. Looks like I have no choice." Xellos sighed. He waved his staff and created a barrage of dark, conical attacks that were fired at the stuffed animal. Pokota's attack was stopped in the middle as he was hit by Xellos'.

The stuffed animal was sent flying and crashing to the ground.

"Oh! Pokota!" Filia gasped.

"Hah... is that the best you can do...?" Pokota murmured, picking himself up. "That was nothing!"

"Really? You look pretty beat up to me. What say we stop this needless fight?" Xellos asked.

"Fat chance! I'm not giving in, and I won't let you back down either!" Pokota snarled, sending another Fireball at Xellos. The monster teleported away, and then reappeared again once the danger of being hit with Pokota's attack had passed.

"You really want to fight me, don't you?" Xellos laughed. "Let's see if this can discourage you!"

Xellos' attacks flew in rapid succession, each one hitting Pokota harder than the last.

Filia, Gourry, and Zelgadis watched in horror. "Pokota's really getting beat up!" Gourry gasped. "Xellos is just too fast!"

"It's not that Xellos is too fast." Zelgadis observed. "Pokota is a very fast creature. He could easily avoid those attacks if he wanted to. He's _allowing_ himself to get hit."

"Both of you stop this right now! " Filia yelled. "You shouldn't be fighting like this!"

"I really would like to do that, Filia dear, but unfortunately my opponent has no intention of letting me." Xellos said.

"You can't back out! I challenged you! Could you please actually pay attention?" Pokota yelled.

"Pokota, what is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?" Gourry yelled.

"I think..." Zelgadis murmured to Gourry. "...I think he _has_."

* * *

"Ohhh~ I don't like this situation one bit!" Amelia exclaimed as the three people made their way through the snow drifts. "I can't shake this odd feeling about what Miss Filia said. That there's more to the situation than we know."

"But what more would there be?" Shichiro asked. "According to what you guys have told me, Xellos wants to kill me in order to obtain this vessel for the Lord of Nightmares."

"That's true." Amelia replied. "But I'm not sure what Miss Filia's motive behind it is. I don't see why she would team up with Mister Xellos unless the world really was in big trouble."

"But isn't it in trouble from Xellos? Doesn't he want to destroy the world with the vessel?" Shichiro asked.

"Yes... but... I'm starting to think there's a larger picture that we're not seeing." Amelia sighed. "If it were just Mister Xellos pursuing us, then I wouldn't be suspicious. But Miss Filia is different. The fact that she's helping Mister Xellos just shows that there's more to this than we know about. After all, she's after you as well."

"Because she wants the vessel, right?" Shichiro asked. Amelia nodded, and Shichiro's attention turned to the gemstones in the backpack that he was carrying. They were stored safely inside the backpack, with Riko keeping an eye on them. "Do you really think that one of these jewels could actually act as a vessel for the Lord of Nightmares herself?"

"I have no idea. What about you, Miss Lina?" Amelia responded. "Miss Lina?"

Lina wasn't paying any attention to the conversation. She was staring up at the sky. It was still overcast, and the sun hadn't been up long enough to give any real illumination. At least it had stopped snowing- for now at least.

"Miss Lina?"

Still no response.

"MISS LINA?"

Lina snapped to attention quickly. "Huh? What?"

"I asked you what you thought." Amelia said.

"That stupid, jellyfish-brained idiot... how dare he make me leave...?" Lina mumbled.

"I get the feeling that it's pointless to talk to her." Shichiro whispered. "Maybe we should just let her sulk for a while."

"Perhaps you're right, Mister Shichiro." Amelia nodded.

Shichiro moved closer to Lina, so that his arm was nearly brushing against hers. Lina didn't seem to notice, and Amelia didn't say anything. She didn't think it would help the situation. Shichiro was staring at the sorceress with a worried expression, but Amelia almost thought she saw a smile cross his face for a split second.

Or maybe she had imagined it.

"Mister Shichiro, is this the cave that Mister Gourry was talking about?" Amelia asked, gesturing to a large break in the rock face to their right.

"This is the one." Shichiro said. "Right, Miss Lina Inverse?"

"Yeah... this is the right one..." Lina sighed.

* * *

"Okay, I'm pretty sure that Pokota has officially gone insane." Gourry observed.

"Yeah, but what are we going to do about it?" Zelgadis asked. He wasn't sure what to do. Pokota seemed intent on provoking Xellos. Zelgadis knew that provoking Xellos was one of the worst things you could possibly do. It was practically suicide...

That last word had crossed Zel's mind several times before when he had observed Pokota. The stuffed animal's obsession with weaponry... his depressed nature and disinterest in food... his willingness to give himself up to Xellos the first time they had been attacked... Pokota's rash actions now... They were all pieces of the puzzle that were fitting together for Zelgadis. But the question was... _why?_

Xellos was not shooting any more attacks at Pokota. Instead, he was dodging the little animal's attacks to the best of his ability, making Pokota more and more irritated.

"Come on, Xellos! I was sure that you'd be one to give me a good fight! Was I wrong?" The stuffed animal yelled."

"Now, now... I just can't justify fulfilling your demands. I apologise, but it would not make my master very happy." Xellos replied.

"Who cares about your master?" Pokota fumed.

"I do, for your information!" Xellos shot back.

Pokota glared at Xellos, and shot another blast of attacks at the monster.

"That does it..." Xellos murmured to himself. "Filia!" He called.

"Huh?" Filia looked surprised at Xellos.

"Filia, listen! Use your holy magic on Pokota!" Xellos yelled.

"What? My holy magic? But why...?" Filia gasped.

"No time to explain! Give me the kid, alright?" Xellos ordered.

Filia examined Zara for a moment, and then sent Xellos a glare as she handed the boy off to Gourry instead. The swordsman was eager to take the unconscious child in his arms, hoping that, wherever Lina was, she could tell that they were together and safe.

"Filia!" Xellos demanded, annoyed that Filia had ruined their chance with the hostage. "Just trust me! Use your most powerful holy magic spell that won't kill him!"

Filia was not sure what Xellos had in mind for the stuffed animal, but it seemed worth a shot- especially since Xellos seemed reluctant to attack Pokota himself. The dragon stepped forward and began incanting a spell in a strange language that none of the others recognised. She created at ball of light energy, and shot it at Pokota. The blast was enormous, and it rattled the stone walls- not to mention all the people in the room.

Xellos had promptly disappeared in order to seek shelter on the astral plane. He didn't want to be around when Filia fired such a powerful attack. But he showed up again immediately when it was over, and approached the now unconscious stuffed animal.

"Pity that we had to resort to this, but it was the only way." Xellos sighed. He turned back to the rest of the group. "Ah, what a failure. My targets fled the scene, and my hostage is... no longer a hostage. It looks as if I'll have to regroup from here. See you guys later! Come on, Filia dear."

"Wait! Xellos? We're just going to leave?" Filia asked.

"Well, of course." Xellos replied. "Come along now." He grabbed Filia's hand and teleported away with her, leaving Gourry and Zelgadis behind.

"They're really gone now..." Zel said.

"What was up with that holy magic spell?" Gourry asked.

"I'd like to know that too." Zelgadis agreed. He walked over and picked up the motionless stuffed animal.

"Is he alright?" Gourry asked.

"I can't tell. We'll just have to carry him with us." Zel replied.

"Okay then. We've got to go meet back up with Lina and the others. I've got Zara and you can take Pokota." Gourry said.

"Right. And I'm sure that they'll be pleased to know that they have the vessel with them." The chimera nodded, motioning for his companion to follow him.

The two of them quickly left the chalet wondering whether they would ever be back.

* * *

Lina, Shichiro, and Amelia were not sure how they should expect their companions to return from the fight with Xellos. Amelia was optimistic that everything would turn out alright, while Lina was still upset about the whole situation. Shichiro sat next to Lina, not saying anything.

"Hey! It's Zelgadis! And Mister Gourry!" Amelia called.

Lina got up quickly and stood beside Amelia, trying to see their friends. "Hey! Gourry!" Lina waved.

"Lina! Lina!" Zara, who had recovered from Xellos' sleeping spell, was waving back happily at his mentor.

"You guys are alright!" Lina called.

"Yeah! We promised you, didn't we?" Gourry replied. Zara reached out to hug Lina, and she took the boy, spinning him around. Zara laughed happily.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed. It wasn't until she ran up to hug the chimera that she noticed the stuffed animal he was carrying. "M-Mister Pokota? Is he alright?"

"Well... he certainly wasn't alright before he got knocked out. But I have no idea how he is now. We just have to wait until he wakes up." Zelgadis replied.

"What in the world happened?" Amelia gasped.

"Pokota finally lost his mind. He challenged Xellos and wouldn't stop firing attacks until Xellos agreed to fight him." Gourry said.

"But why?" Lina asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Gourry replied.

"How'd he get knocked out? Did Mister Xellos do that?" Amelia asked.

"No, it couldn't have been Xellos. That's the effect of a holy magic spell." Shichiro observed.

"How could you tell?" Zelgadis asked. "You're right- Xellos ordered Filia to use some of her holy magic to fight him. But I can't figure out why."

"Maybe he was just being lazy and didn't want to deal with Pokota himself." Lina offered.

"I doubt that. Xellos could have easily taken care of Pokota. But for some reason he didn't want to. There had to be a good reason that he ordered Filia to do it." Zelgadis said.

"Geez. All this new information to figure out! My brain was hurting already..." Gourry sighed, sitting down.

"You okay?" Lina asked, sitting beside him.

"You look tired." Zara observed.

"Yeah, well... I've been awake a lot at night trying to figure stuff out. All this information is really confusing, but I'm determined to solve it!" Gourry replied.

"Morons aren't supposed to stay awake trying to figure out tough situations." Lina scolded, giving him a light knock on the head. "Don't get so concerned about it, alright?"

"I'm just worried about you... er,_ everyone_." He sighed.

"Well STOP. BEING. DEPRESSED." Lina continued. "We've got enough to worry about with _those two_." She gestured at Zelgadis and Pokota.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Zelgadis asked, annoyed.

"Nothing." Lina replied. She turned to Gourry and whispered. "Haven't I told you that you're just like Zel when you get serious like this?"

"Uh... have you?" Gourry asked. "I don't remember... oh! Wait! Yeah! Sorry! I do!"

"Hey guys? There's something else you should know." Zelgadis continued, ignoring Lina and Gourry's conversation. "Xellos said that Shichiro had taken the vessel along with him. That means we have it with us right now."

Shichiro picked up his backpack and looked at it amazedly."So you mean that one of these is...?"

"The vessel for the Lord of Nightmares...?" Lina gasped.

"Lord of Nightmares...?" Zara asked, his eyes widening in fear. "How is the _Lord of Nightmares_ involved in this?"

"Well... that's a long story." Lina replied, picking up Zara and putting him in her lap.

"Oh boy! Storytime!" Zara exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. The whole group- at least those that were standing- fell flat on their faces.

"No! This is serious!" Lina fumed. "Pay attention! The monster race wants to destroy the world using the power of the Lord of Nightmares! They've apparently found a vessel that can support the spirit of the Lord of Nightmares, and that's what Xellos is trying to get!"

"Is that why he was using me as a hostage?" Zara asked.

"Yes. But apparently he's also after Shichiro." Lina gestured over to the dark-haired boy. "I don't think you've met him before. Shichiro, this is my apprentice, Zara. Zara, this is Shichiro Hoseki. He's an expert on everything regarding gemstones."

Zara and Shichiro stared at each other for a moment, both seeming to be examining the other. "Well hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Zara." Shichiro bowed. Zara was unfamiliar with the honorifics. Most people just called him Zara, and even his more formal friends (Amelia, Sylphiel, and Filia) had felt it more appropriate to address him as Zara-chan. He should have felt proud to be considered mature enough to be called a 'mister.' Being addressed by a strange name by a strange person that he had never met was a bit unnerving.

"H-hi..." Zara replied, shrinking back toward Lina a bit. "Um... most people just usually cal me Zara... so..."

"I'm sorry, Zara. I didn't mean to scare you. I apologise." Shichiro replied, also backing up a bit. He was upset that he had caused the boy anxiety. Getting on the boy's bad side was the last thing he wanted to do.

"But why is Xellos after Shichiro? That doesn't make sense." Zara asked.

"Well... according to Xellos, in order for the vessel to work, the human who possesses it must be killed. And since Shichiro is the one who owns these gems, then..." Lina's voice trailed off.

Zara looked puzzled for a moment. "The vessel and the human who possesses it...? But Lina-"

"Mister Pokota!" Amelia's voice interrupted Zara's sentence. Lina and her friends looked over. Sure enough, Pokota was beginning to wake up.

The stuffed animal opened his eyes and blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings. "Wha... why is everyone staring at me...?" He asked.

Lina picked him up by his ears. "Because you were just unconscious, moron! What the heck happened to you?"

Pokota struggled in Lina's grip. "Hey! I didn't mean to yell at you! Put me down already, pipsqueak!"

"Pipsqueak? Looks who's talking, you tiny fuzzball!"

"Tiny fuzzball? Why you little-"

"Mister Pokota, are you feeling alright?" Amelia asked.

"I'd be feeling better if Lina put me down!" Pokota replied more to Lina than to Amelia.

"You heard the stuffed animal. Put him down." Zelgadis ordered.

Lina released Pokota with a scowl. He dropped to the floor, brushing himself off.

"Pokota, are you okay? You seem to be back to normal." Gourry observed.

"Back to normal? What are you talking about?" Pokota asked.

"We're talking about the way you were chronically depressed!" Lina fumed.

"Not only that, but also the way you recklessly challenged Xellos just now." Zelgadis added.

"What? Challenged Xellos? When? Where? Where the heck are we?" Pokota asked, looking around.

"Huh? You're saying that you don't remember any of the fight against Mister Xellos and Miss Filia?" Amelia asked.

"Xellos? And Filia? I don't remember..." Pokota shook his head.

"That's weird. So you don't remember Filia using a holy magic spell on you and knocking you out?" Lina asked.

"Nope. Not at all."

"Lina, what happened to the stuffed animal? Is he okay?" Zara asked.

"Huh? Who's that kid?" Pokota asked.

"Oh yeah, you don't remember. This is my apprentice, Zara. The one that got kidnapped by Xellos and Filia." Lina replied, picking up the child.

"They didn't kidnap me! I found them on my own! They helped me out, because I'd gotten really lost since I left Sairaag." Zara defended.

"And why exactly did you leave Sairaag?" Lina growled.

"Because I got lonely. You and Gourry left me behind. I missed you a whole lot." Zara said, teary-eyed.

"And you think we didn't miss you?" Lina yelled. "But we left you there because we were doing a lot of dangerous things and we didn't want you to get in trouble like you were with Xellos today! Did you know he was threatening to kill you?"

"Hey Lina, take it easy. He's safe now, so what does it matter?" Gourry said, putting his hand on Lina's shoulder.

"Hmph! Don't question my parenting, jellyfish-brain. He deserves a scolding for this so that he won't do anything like it again!" Lina replied with a glare. "But..." Her tone changed slightly. "I doubt that it can really be helped. He's inherited our knack for attracting trouble, it seems. "

"I guess you're right!" Gourry laughed.

Lina nodded. "But he still needs to go back to Sairaag right away.

"Whaaaat~?" Zara and Gourry whined.

"If he stays with us, he could end up getting into trouble again!" Lina said. "He's just a kid! He can't use magic the way Amelia, Zel, Pokota, and I can yet, and he doesn't have a good weapon like you do. He's not personally involved in the situation the way Shichiro is, so there's no reason that he should stay. It's be safer."

"So... we're going to Sairaag now?" Amelia asked.

"I guess so." Lina replied. "We should probably get our stuff from the chalet and leave as soon as possible."

"Sairaag, huh? Brings back memories. It's been quite a while since I was there last..." Shichiro murmured.

"You've been to Sairaag, Mister Shichiro?" Amelia asked.

"Oh yeah, of course. I had quite a time when I was last there..." He sighed nostalgically. "Maybe I'll have as much fun this time too. But it seems like fun is going to have to wait until a little later..."

"Well let's not just stand around! Let's get moving!" Lina exclaimed.

"Right! I'm with you!" Pokota exclaimed.

"And thus, we continue to Sairaag!" Amelia added. "And then to Seyruun!"

"Seyruun?" Lina questioned. "Why?"

"Why not?" Amelia questioned. "I've been gone for quite a while, and my dad really ought to know what's going on..."

"Fine then. To Sairaag and then Seyruun." Lina corrected.

* * *

(A/N: Xellos had a good idea! Pokota's back to normal! But the questions are still 'why' and 'for how long?' Right? And onward to Seyruun! :3)


	15. 15: Home again! What do we do now?

My goodness! 15 chapters already? This fic is shaping up to be as long (or maybe even longer) than my previous one, the way things are going. And as with the previous one, I still do not own Slayers. Not even a little bit. But nevertheless, enjoy the story. :3

* * *

**15- Home again! What do we do now?**

"So... which one do you guys think is the vessel? Any ideas?" Lina asked, tossing the backpack on the kotatsu. They had decided to return to the chalet, regroup, and leave for Sairaag the next morning.

They discussed the various jewels for a few minutes, and found that everyone had their own ideas about which one it could be.

"I think it must be the geode!" Amelia said. "After all, the symbolism of being plain on the outside and beautiful on the inside should be a dead giveaway! It's special somehow, I just know it!"

"You think? That would certainly make sense..." Shichiro asked.

"I like the cotton candy one!" Gourry said.

"You mean the _gypsum_?" Shichiro asked, sounding somewhat annoyed. "I suppose that one is interesting as well... it's certainly an abnormal colour."

"This pretty red one is my favourite!" Zara exclaimed, holding up a small ruby.

"That's nice, Zara-chan, but it seems kind of small." Amelia commented. "We're looking for one that could contain the power of the Lord of Nightmares."

"Oh." Zara replied. He glanced over at Lina. "Lina's rubies are small too, but they're really powerful!"

"You mean these?" Lina asked, holding up the talismans. "That's true."

"You don't think that Lina's talismans could be the jewels that Xellos is trying to get, do you?" Pokota gasped.

"No way." Lina replied. "If they were, then I'd be the human who needed to be killed, because they're mine. But Xellos is after Shichiro, not me."

"Shichiro, what is this? It looks igneous, but I can't quite identify it." Zelgadis said, holding up a large dark rock that was perfectly hexagonal. "Did you cut it this way?"

Shichiro took the rock from Zelgadis. "No, actually it formed this way. It's a piece of columnar basalt, so it forms in these hexagonal columns. It's very interesting to see a large formation of them."

"I'm in favour of that one." Zelgadis commented. "After all, it's unique from the others. It's not what you would call a gemstone- and Xellos never said for a fact that the vessel _was_ a gemstone."

"That's true. Xellos never said what the vessel was, just that he needed it. It could be a regular rock, or not even a rock at all. It could be an animal, or even a person as far as we know." Lina reasoned.

_Animal... _Everyone's gaze slowly drifted to the only animal that was in Shichiro's possession.

"Why is everyone staring at Riko?" Shichiro asked timidly.

"Well..." Lina began.

"It couldn't be!" Amelia exclaimed. "Mister Xellos said that he didn't want Riko, didn't he?"

"That's right." Shichiro said, grabbing his cat. "Let's just focus on the gemstones, alright?"

"Right." Lina nodded. "So... we're still unsure which one it is. We're split as to which one it might be."

"We'll just take all of them with us." Amelia said.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Lina agreed.

* * *

"Hey Lina, are you still awake?"

"Hmm...?" Lina had been half asleep when she heard someone calling her. "What the heck are you doing up at this hour, jellyfish-brain?"

"Just doing some thinking." Gourry replied.

"That's a scary thought." Lina commented.

"No, I'm serious. There's something that's been bugging me since this afternoon."

"What is it?" Lina asked. She could sense the seriousness in her protector's voice, and didn't like it.

"Remember when you talked about Xellos wanting to kill Shichiro? Zara said that it didn't make sense. He was about to say 'but Lina-' and something else before Pokota woke up. I'm wondering what he was trying to tell us. Do you think he knows something that we don't?" Gourry said.

"My gosh, you really need to stop being so smart. It's freaking me out." Lina said, sounding serious even though she was joking. "But seriously, I have no idea. We could ask Zara tomorrow morning when he wakes up." Lina glanced at the little boy who had fallen asleep next to her under the kotatsu blanket. "For now, though, let's get some sleep. We've got a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

"Okay. G'night Lina."

"Good night, Gourry. And please go to sleep."

"But there's still some things I haven't figured out-"

"I SAID GO TO SLEEP!"

"Right, right! I'm going to sleep!" Gourry defended, diving under the blanket he was using.

"Okay, good." Lina sighed, already half-asleep again. "And you don't have to figure this all out alone. We're all working together..."

* * *

By the time everyone woke up the next morning, Lina and Gourry had forgotten all about what they had agreed to ask Zara. It didn't really matter, as the group set out for Sairaag just the way they'd planned.

Despite what had happened, everyone seemed pretty optimistic. Pokota was back to his normal self, which made Lina and everyone else greatly relieved. With Pokota back to normal, and Amelia keeping Zelgadis from getting too unhappy, the group was in considerably high spirits.

Lina, Gourry, and Pokota were having a random debate over the best way to cook potatoes. Suddenly the argument was interrupted by Zara, who was tugging at Lina's cape.

"What are you talking about? I want to talk with you too!" He said.

"Oh. Zara. Do you like potatoes?" Pokota asked.

"I guess so. I don't eat food all that much." Zara replied.

"Sounds pretty boring to me." Pokota said. "What kind of kid doesn't like food?"

"Hey! Don't call him boring!" Lina defended, picking up Zara. "He's half monster, so as long as there are positive emotions around him, he doesn't need much food! And anyway, he's an amazing, super-awesome kid! So you'd better leave him alone, stuffed animal!"

"Geez, you're not happy. You sound like you're his mother or something." Pokota complained.

"Well maybe I _am_!" Lina snapped. "So you can shut your trap!"

Pokota stared at the sorceress and the child. It was funny... he'd never thought of Lina as the maternal type before, though Zara seemed particularly attached to her.

"Zara, you're Lina's apprentice, right? So who's your real mom?" Pokota asked.

The little boy looked with questioning eyes at the stuffed animal. "What do you mean? Lina _is_ my real mom."

"He's an orphan. His real mother died." Lina said blatantly.

"Oh." Pokota gasped, observing the boy in a new light. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"It's okay! I've got Lina and Gourry!" Zara said smiling.

"He had most of his memories erased. It's a long story." Lina explained.

"I'll bet..." Pokota sighed.

"So Zara, are you done bothering us? Why don't you go annoy someone else? Go bother Shichiro." Lina said.

"Shichiro?" Zara asked timidly.

"Yeah." Lina replied.

"I don't want to." Zara responded.

"What's the matter with you? Is there a problem?" Lina asked.

"I don't want to." Zara repeated, hugging Lina closer.

"Um... okay. You don't want to." Lina repeated. Pokota shot her a concerned glance. "He's chronically afraid of everything." Lina explained.

"I see. I'm surprised though. Shichiro is so nice." Pokota observed.

"Yeah. Me too." Lina replied. "But who knows what goes through that kids head? Not me, that's for sure."

"It's a shame he has to go back to Sairaag. I'd like to get to know him better. He seems pretty nice." Pokota said.

"Yeah. I'd like to keep him around, myself." Lina sighed. "But I'd rather have him safe. If anything ever happened to him..." Lina's voice trailed off.

"Hey! No being depressed!" Pokota ordered. "Everything's going to be fine! After all this craziness is over, we can get to know each other very well!"

"Yeah! That's right! And when it's over, we'll come and visit you in Taforashia! You can give Zara the grand tour!" Lina exclaimed.

"Taforashia..." Pokota murmured, his expression clouding. "Uh, yeah. Right... hey Zara! I know you don't eat a lot, but do you have a favourite food? Mine is clam chowder! Especially the kind you can find at a seaport town! It's especially great when it's fresh!" Pokota smiled, completely changing the subject.

"Oh! Well, I like anything that I can share with Lina and Gourry! That's my favourite thing to eat!" Zara exclaimed.

"That's pretty cool! I guess Lina and Gourry like having you around, then." Pokota replied.

Lina gave the stuffed animal a puzzled glance, but decided not to pry. She had thought that he was back to normal, but maybe...

What if he wasn't?

* * *

Sylphiel and Zander were beyond relieved to find Zara returning with Lina and her friends.

They were relived for the boy's safety. After all, they both cared about him, and had been worried sick over his safety since they had figured out that he was missing.

But they were also relived for their own safety. After all, they knew how much Lina loved that child. If anything had happened to the boy, Lina would have killed them.

No, literally.

She would have killed them.

...probably...

"Zara-chan, I can't believe that you would run off like that! It's not like you!" Sylphiel exclaimed.

"I know! That was a dirty trick that you pulled!" Zander agreed.

"I-I'm sorry..." Zara apologised, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. "But I missed Lina and Gourry..."

"Well he's safe now, so don't worry so much about it." Lina said, giving Zara a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She was, in fact, worried about it, but she absolutely hated it when Zara cried. So she did her best to make sure that the kid didn't get too upset.

"Thank you, Miss Lina." Sylphiel said. "How did you find him? Did he get into much trouble?"

"Oh, not much." Lina assured them. "Just getting kidnapped by a monster and used as a hostage in order to get us to hand over a vessel that could be used to incarnate the Lord of Nightmares. Nothing major."

Lina grinned. Sylphiel and Zander's expressions were priceless.

"A-a-are you serious...?" Zander stammered. "You can't be serious! You're just joking with us... right...?"

"Why the heck do you think I'm leaving him here?" Lina asked. "Well... I'd love to stay and chat... but... we're heading for Seyruun, and we'd really like to get there by tomorrow afternoon... so..." Lina began awkwardly.

"Linaaaa~" Zara cried, hugging onto the sorceress' leg. "Please don't leave me here! Please!"

"I'm sorry Zara... but we can't take you. It's too risky..." Lina sighed.

"Lina, please?" Zara begged, his green eyes looking tearfully at the sorceress. Lina cringed inwardly. She and Zara both knew that it was her weakness. Lina had to remind herself over and over that it was for Zara's safety.

But she couldn't leave him when he was looking at her like that...

"HEY! ZARA! LOOK! A DISTRACTION!" Lina suddenly exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Huh? What?" Zara turned around to look.

""Um, it's been nice chatting! See you later! Bye!" Lina said, leaving before Zara could figure out exactly what she had said.

"Lina... that was kind of cruel of you... wasn't it?" Gourry whispered as they left.

"Well, I had to." Lina replied. "We can't take him with us. It's too dangerous."

"Yeah... I suppose you're right. I've got enough to worry about trying to protect you." Gourry said, putting his arm around Lina.

"Enough to worry about? Just what do you mean by that?" Lina fumed.

"Umm... that I think you're cute?" Gourry offered, trying to get out of the conversation.

"Good answer, idiot." Lina sighed. "Makes no sense, but it's a good answer."

* * *

"Yay! I'm so excited to be back in Seyruun!" Amelia enthused as they made their way back to the palace.

"It certainly hasn't changed since we were here last." Zelgadis observed.

"How long has it been anyway?" Lina asked.

"Since I was here?" Amelia asked. "About two weeks. Three for Zelgadis."

"Two weeks? No way. So much has happened..." Lina sighed. "Two weeks since we set out on that quest for some jewel that's pretty much forgotten now..."

"Not forgotten." Zelgadis corrected. "Just put on hiatus."

"Whatever." Lina growled.

"Only two weeks since we met Mister Shichiro." Amelia commented.

"That's true." Lina replied. "Funny, it feels as if we've known him for much longer."

"It_ is_ funny, isn't it?" Shichiro laughed.

"Let's get to the palace!" Lina said. "It's almost dinnertime! I'm starving!"

"Yeah! I agree!" Gourry said.

The group made their way quickly to the Seyruun Palace. With Amelia as part of their group, their entrance was known to most of the guards- and the word quickly spread to the crown prince.

"Amelia!" Prince Philionel called out to his daughter.

"Daddy!" Amelia responded, running to embrace the prince. Father and daughter pulled each other into a powerful hug, while everyone else watched.

Lina grinned, deciding once and for all that she and Zara would _never_ end up like that.

Phil let go of his daughter, and turned to the group that she had come with. He smiled at them, addressing them.

"Miss Lina! Mister Gourry! Prince Posel- er, Pokota! And... you are...Mister Hoseki, correct?"

"Yes sir, your highness." Shichiro replied with a bow.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you!" Phil enthused. "From what I hear, you are a very knowledgeable young man!"

"Oh... well... thank you very much." Shichiro replied with a blush.

"Good to see you again." Zelgadis said, nodding.

"Zelgadis!" Prince Phil exclaimed, grabbing the chimera in a violent hug just the way he had done with Amelia. Unlike the princess, Zelgadis did not respond with the same warmth. His shocked expression gave away the fact that he hadn't expected such a greeting from Phil.

"Uh... uh... good... to see you... too..." Zelgadis choked.

"How've you been? Everything going well?" Phil asked, releasing the grateful chimera.

Zelgadis stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Fine... fine... although we've kind of gotten sidetracked..."

"Sidetracked?" Phil asked, with a suddenly concerned look on his face.

"Yeah. As much as we like you, Phil, this isn't just a social visit." Lina said. "We're here because..." She thought for a moment. "Um... why the heck are we in Seyruun again?"

"Because we didn't have anywhere else to go?" Amelia asked.

"Oh! Right! Because the monsters chased us out of both of Shichiro's places..." Lina said. "And Gourry and I don't really have homes we can exactly go back to... and Zel doesn't really have a home at all... so here we are!"

"Monsters? Chased out? What in the world happened?" Phil gasped.

"It's a long story. What do you say we discuss it over _dinner_?" Lina asked hopefully.

Phil sighed. "Even in dangerous situations, you never change, do you?"

"Nope!" Lina replied. "Now let's get some food!"

* * *

"Aah~ Seyruun! What a beautiful city!"

"Are you serious? Seyruun is a city of white magic. You're a monster. Isn't there something wrong with that?" Filia sighed.

"Ah, but Filia dear, there are plenty of negative emotions combined with the positive ones. It's fun!" Xellos replied. The two sat in a restaurant, eating dinner. Both were drinking tea and discussing what they needed to accomplish next.

"Listen, Xellos. I don't really care what you think about the city. I just want you to be honest with Miss Lina and the others." Filia said, staring seriously at her monster companion.

"Honesty? When am I ever dishonest?" Xellos asked, sounding hurt.

"I mean telling them the whole truth!" Filia said. "Not leaving any details out! They need to know about Phibrizzo!"

"Right, right. I'll tell them, so relax. Alright?" Xellos said, waving his teacup around. "You need to calm down. You're so terribly tense..." Xellos leaned across the table so that his face was just inches away from Filia's. "...Filia _dear_..."

Filia pushed her chair away from the table quickly.

"G-get away from me, you monster!" She yelled, drawing glances from other restaurant patrons.

"Oh, come now. You don't have to be so serious about this. We are together, aren't we?" Xellos asked.

"T-t-together? What do you mean by 'together?" Filia stammered.

"Well, you're travelling with me, and I'm travelling with you..." Xellos said.

"I'm only doing this to protect the world! You know that, as soon as you get that vessel, I'm going to be your enemy again!" Filia defended, turning her head away.

"But Filia de-"

"Don't even talk to me!" She fumed.

"Alright then." Xellos said, leaning farther across the table. He gently kissed Filia on the cheek, and smiled in amusement as she violently recoiled.

"Y-you!" She yelled, pulling out her mace and chasing after him, much to the surprise of the other people in the restaurant. "STUPID MONSTER!"

"Oh my! Violent tonight, aren't we?" Xellos laughed, heading toward the door of the restaurant.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU!" Filia yelled, chasing Xellos out of the building with her mace ready to strike.

Unbeknownst to the monster and the dragon, the quarrel had been observed by a person running an errand for Prince Phil. Recognising the purple-haired monster, she hurried back to the palace to inform the prince of what she had seen.

* * *

"My goodness! That is an insane situation!" Phil exclaimed, upon hearing Lina's explanation of what had happened to the group.

"I know, right? So that's why we're here." Lina replied, while stuffing her face and fighting Gourry for a piece of food.

"Well, you're certainly welcome to stay here at the palace." Phil said. "We have plenty of guest rooms for you to stay in."

"Oh! You could stay in my room, Miss Lina!" Amelia enthused. "It would be just like a sleepover!"

Lina was surprised. "A... a sleepover...?" She asked.

"Yeah! Wouldn't it be fun?" Amelia asked hopefully, her eyes sparkling.

"I... guess..." Lina murmured. The group was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a person entering the room.

"Prince Philionel?"

Phil looked up to see one of the maids entering the dining room. "Ah! Ozzel! Welcome back!"

Pokota jumped up in shock. "Ozzel?"

"Oh, Mister Pokota! You haven't met our chief maid yet!" Amelia said, standing up. "Miss Ozzel, you remember Mister Pokota, right?"

Ozzel nodded toward the familiar stuffed animal.

"B-but how... what happened?" Pokota gasped.

"Ah man, do we have to go through that whole story again?" Lina asked, banging her head on the table.

"Prince Philionel, there is a piece of information that I feel you need to know." Ozzel said.

"Huh? Information?" Phil asked.

"Yes. While in town, I came across a couple exiting a restaurant. I recognised one as that monster priest that we have been involved with before." Ozzel replied.

"Monster priest? You mean Xellos?" Lina asked.

"I'm afraid so. He was also accompanied by a blonde woman who wielded a large weapon." Ozzel added.

"That's Miss Filia!" Amelia gasped. "So you mean that Mister Xellos and Miss Filia are here in Seyruun?"

"Yes, however it seemed that they were too busy fighting each other to be planning anything. Though looks can often be deceiving when it comes to monsters." Ozzel replied.

"Aww man! And we thought that we were finally rid of them!" Lina groaned. "At least for a little while!"

"This is troubling." Phil agreed.

"But if they aren't planning anything, at least at the moment, then we really don't need to worry about it right now, right?" Gourry asked.

"I guess you're right..." Lina sighed.

"Does this mean that our sleepover is still on?" Amelia asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah... whatever." Lina responded.

"Hooray!" Amelia enthused. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Lina banged her head on the table. Gourry placed his hand on her head sympathetically. "Good luck tonight." He said.

"Between Xellos, Filia, and Amelia..." Lina groaned. "I'm going to need it."

* * *

(A/N: Pokota wasn't around when they fought Ozzel in 'Another Adventure,' so he would definitely be surprised to meet her, I guess. Hooray! Sleepover time for Lina and Amelia! I have a bad feeling about it though... :3)


	16. 16:The perfect revenge is a party?

I do not own Slayers. But I do own a wall calendar with HIGHLAND COWS! :3! *cough* Anyway... onto the story.

(A/N: I love this chapter! It was so much fun to write! It actually makes me laugh every time I read it! A lot of it was inspired by listening to the song コイスルレシピ (Recipe of Love) by the band Liz Triangle- hence the references to the instruments that Zelgadis makes. Haha, this song is so cute, it could probably put Xellos into some sort of coma or something... :3)

* * *

**16- The most perfect revenge is... a party?**

"Miss Lina, this is exciting! I've never had a sleepover like this before!" Amelia enthused happily.

"Seriously?" Lina sighed. "What did you do your whole childhood?"

"I was busy with duties as a princess! And I didn't really have any friends my age to play with..." Amelia replied.

"Geez. Sounds like being a princess really sucks." Lina said.

"Well, sometimes. But I wouldn't trade it for anything! Helping out the people of my country and spreading Justice to those who need it is the greatest job in the world!" Amelia exclaimed, standing up on the bed triumphantly.

"Alright... so... what exactly do you want to do at your very first sleepover?" Lina asked.

"I was hoping that you would have a suggestion, Miss Lina. What did you usually do at sleepovers?" Amelia replied.

"Well..." Lina's voice trailed off. "Actually, I wasn't exactly the one that everyone wanted to invite to their parties... the only ones that I went to were ones that my sister was invited to, and she was forced to bring me along. I just kind of sat in the corner. I didn't really like that sort of thing anyway..."

"Oh! Miss Lina! I didn't realise that! Don't worry! You'll be included in out sleepover for sure!" Amelia assured her. "So what were some things that they normally did?"

"If I remember correctly..." Lina pondered. "...they enjoyed doing each other's hair."

"Ah! That sounds like a great idea!" Amelia said. "I guess... my hair is kind of short, so there's not really that much we can do with it... yours is longer so..."

"Hmm..." Lina took a strand of her hair and examined it. "I wonder... my hair isn't all that good for doing things with. I usually just put it in a headband to keep it out of my face."

"Oh... I see..." Amelia sighed. Suddenly, she looked up, placing her fist into her palm. "Hey! I just realised! Mister Gourry and Mister Shichiro have really long hair!"

"Oh. You're right! They do!" Lina replied. "Say, do you think we should..."

"Let's go get them!" Amelia said, jumping up.

"Cool! I call messing with Gourry's hair!" Lina said, following after her friend.

* * *

"You want us to _what_?" Gourry asked.

"Come back to Amelia's room with us! We want to do your hair!" Lina said.

"Our hair?" Shichiro asked, eyeing his long black ponytail warily. It was the first time we was regretting growing it long.

"Yeah, come on." Lina said, grabbing Gourry and dragging him with her. "Bring Pokota too. And where the heck did Zel run off to anyway?"

"Zelgadis went to talk to Phil about something." Gourry said.

"Well then leave him a note telling him to come to Amelia's room when he gets back. Meanwhile, you guys come with us." Lina said.

"Why us?" Gourry whined.

"Because, you've got better hair than Amelia and I do. Honestly, who wouldn't want to mess with hair like yours?" Lina replied.

"I would! Let go!" Gourry exclaimed, but to no avail. Lina dragged him back to Amelia's room. Amelia was nice enough to let Shichiro walk, and Pokota rode on top of the boy's head.

* * *

Zelgadis was in a particularly good mood as he walked back to his own room. He was planning on stopping by to talk to Amelia, but then remembered that Lina would be there as well. Deciding it would be better to wait until he could get Amelia alone, he went back to where he had been staying with Gourry, Pokota, and Shichiro. He was surprised to find that, instead of his friends, there was a note waiting for him.

"They went to Amelia's room?" He questioned. "I wonder why..." Shrugging, he headed off toward the princess' room as well. Zelgadis wasn't sure what to expect when he knocked on the door and heard Amelia's voice telling him to come in.

Opening the door, Zel found Amelia sitting on the floor beside Shichiro, attempting to braid his long black hair, and Lina on the bed beside Gourry having a fight with a brush and the swordsman's hair. It appeared as if the brush was losing. Pokota was perched on top of Amelia's dresser, watching everything from above. Zelgadis stared in incredulity at the scene.

"Do I even _want_ to know what's going on here?" He asked.

"This was not voluntary!" Gourry exclaimed, seeing Zel at the door. "Ow! Ow! Lina quit it! That hurts!"

"It wouldn't hurt if you didn't move so much, jellyfish-brain!" Lina spat.

"I'm moving because you're pulling me!" Gourry defended.

"Whatever!" Lina sighed, pulling the brush out of her companion's hair. "Hey Zel, sit down. Let's see what we can do to your hair."

"My hair?" Zelgadis asked, sitting down on the side of Amelia's bed.

"Yeah..." Lina began, examining the chimera's wiry, lavender hair. "Uh... maybe you can be like Pokota and just watch instead."

"That sounds good." Zelgadis said, satisfied that no one was going to attempt to style his hair. "What do you have playing right now? Music?"

"Yeah. Do you like it?" Amelia asked, gesturing to the music player which was playing one of the most upbeat and energetic songs he had ever heard.

"Is that a piano and an... accordion?" He asked, trying to identify the instruments.

"I have no idea, but it sounds nice." Amelia replied.

"I guess if you like that kind of music." Zel replied. He decided that he liked it pretty well. It was sweet and lively, just like Amelia.

"Ow! OW! Hey, Lina! Don't be so harsh!" Gourry complained.

"When the heck was the last time you brushed this thing?" Lina demanded angrily.

"You expect me to remember?" The swordsman replied.

"I guess that's a good thing about being a chimera. No one ever tries to mess with my hair." Zelgadis commented.

"Yeah, and besides, yours is too short to really do anything with." Lina commented.

"You're right. It is." Zel replied, examining his own hair. "I thought about growing it out a lot before, but it was always too inconvenient. And now that I'm like this... that won't work anymore."

"Maybe when you become a human again, you should grow it longer. It would look good." Amelia commented.

"Yeah, maybe I'll do that." He sighed, already lost in other thoughts. Amelia's statement had taken him by surprise. After all, she had said 'when,' not 'if.' Was she really that optimistic that he'd one day find his cure? Did she really want him to? She'd always said that she liked him the way he was. Would she be upset if he decided to stop searching...?

Lina was absentmindedly humming along to the music, and Amelia was swaying back and forth happily. Gourry appeared inattentive, though Zelgadis figured that he must be lost in Lina's voice, which was actually quite nice. Shichiro, on the other hand, looked as if he might fall asleep.

"Hey Shichiro, you okay?" Zelgadis asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Of course!" Shichiro grinned. "After all, it's a party! This place has enough cheerfulness to make even a Dark Lord ill."

"A Dark Lord, huh?" Lina asked, contemplating the statement. Suddenly she stood up, yanking a handful of Gourry's hair with her.

"OW~! Lina's what's your problem?" He asked.

"I just realised something!" Lina said.

"What's that, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked.

"We're being bad friends!" Lina said.

"How so?" Zelgadis questioned.

"We've totally forgotten to invite Xellos to this party!" Lina exclaimed.

"Xellos? Are you crazy?" Pokota growled. "He wants to kill us! And you suggest bringing him to this party where we're already happy and having fun..." Pokota seemed to realise what Lina was getting at. "...oh!"

"Bingo!" Lina exclaimed. "It's payback time!"

* * *

Lina and Amelia set out to find Xellos and Filia. It wasn't really hard to do, considering that the two weren't exactly inconspicuous. Once found, they politely invited the two, and when Xellos protested, they grabbed him and forcefully dragged him back to the palace, where they set to work figuring out what to do with him.

"Miss Lina! I'll do his hair!" Filia volunteered.

"Oh come on, you can't be serious." Xellos objected.

"Overruled!" Filia exclaimed. "Hey Amelia, do you have any clips or accessories that I could use?"

"I have these flower ones." Amelia said.

"Oh! Those are perfect!" Filia exclaimed, eagerly taking the fake flowers from the princess.

"Why me...?" Xellos groaned. "And what about this music? Are you trying to make my ears bleed or something?"

"Maybe we are." Amelia responded. "Although I happen to like this song!"

Xellos sighed, and allowed Filia to go to work on his hair. The group talked and laughed for a while, adding to Xellos' misfortune. Lina had pretty much given up at trying to tame Gourry's hair, and simply tied it back so that she'd feel as if she had done something. Amelia was still hard at work on Shichiro's hair, however.

"Hey, don't look so down." Gourry comforted the dark-haired boy. "At least they're not making us dress up like girls. I've had to do that several times, and believe me, it's not fun..."

"Really? Interesting." Shichiro nodded. "With your hair, I figure you'd make a pretty good girl. You're just too tall for it."

"H-hey! Wait... was that supposed to be a compliment?" Gourry asked.

"Um... yeah. It was a compliment." Shichiro replied.

"Oh. Well, thank you." Gourry said.

"There! All done! You look great, Mister Shichiro!" Amelia said.

"Thank you, Princess Amelia." Shichiro thanked her, getting up. He eyed Xellos who was sulking in a corner. Filia had finally finished putting flowers in his hair and had moved on to dressing up Pokota, much to the little animal's horror. "Do you think Xellos could use some cheering up?" Shichiro asked.

Amelia laughed. "You can try to help him. I doubt that it will do much good though."

"Yeah." Shichiro agreed. "It's not very nice, but I can't help laughing a bit at his misfortune. The poor monster." The dark-haired boy walked up to the monster who was sitting in the corner and took a seat beside him.

"Hey there, Xellos. You look pretty down. Is the party too much for you?" Shichiro asked. Xellos didn't respond. "This kind of party is almost too much for any monster to take, isn't it?"

Xellos glared at Shichiro. "You do know that being sympathetic towards me won't make me want to kill you any less."

"Oh, I know. I just think that there is no reason to be disagreeable when we're not fighting." Shichiro responded with a slight smile. "I must admit, it's quite amusing to see Zelas' general priest allowing a dragoness to put flowers in his hair. Most monsters wouldn't even let a dragon touch them. Have you become soft, Xellos?"

"I assure you, I have not. You'll find that out all too soon." Xellos replied with a mischievous grin. "And I must say that it is awfully amusing to see someone with power such as yours allow a human girl to braid his hair like that. It must have taken Amelia at least 45 minutes. You're the one I have to worry about going soft."

Shichiro laughed. "If you so willingly admit to my powers, then what makes you think that you can kill me so easily?"

"I trust my master. Lord Beastmaster would not send me on a mission that she did not think I could accomplish." Xellos replied.

Shichiro shook his head. "Zelas is a fool. And wouldn't she like to see you now?" He grinned at Xellos and turned to the rest of the group. "Hey, Miss Lina!" He called out, getting the sorceress' attention. "Turn the music up! Xellos and I can't hear it as well over here!"

"Okay!" Lina laughed, as she turned the volume of the music player up louder. Shichiro grinned at Xellos, and Xellos shot a glare back.

"Enjoy the festivities, Xellos." Shichiro said with a smirk, walking over to join the rest of the group again.

Xellos got up as well, determined to heed Shichiro's advice, however sarcastic it might have been.

* * *

"Let's all play a game!" Amelia exclaimed.

"A game? What sort of game?" Shichiro asked.

"Well... what kinds of games do you normally play at things like this?" Amelia asked.

"I remember a game called 'spin the bottle." Lina said. "Everyone sits in a circle and spins a bottle, and whoever it lands on you have to kiss."

"I don't like the sound of that game." Zelgadis murmured.

"I think it sounds like fun! Let's play that!" Amelia said.

"Great... but we don't have a bottle to play with." Filia observed.

"Oh! Let's use Pokota as the bottle!" Lina yelled, grabbing the stuffed animal by the ears.

"H-hey! Put me down! I'm not some bottle!" Pokota replied, trying to squirm out of Lina's grasp.

"I can get us a bottle." Xellos offered.

"Sure. Make yourself useful, Xellos." Lina said, dropping the stuffed animal.

Xellos quickly materialised a large bottle and held it up for everyone to see. "Is this the kind that you were looking for?"

"That's exactly the kind!" Lina replied. "Good job!"

"Um... but Mister Xellos...?" Amelia began.

"What's wrong, Amelia?"

"...that bottle is full of champagne."

The group stared at Xellos. Amelia was right. "Oh, I'm sorry. You wanted an empty bottle?"

"Well, an empty bottle would be much easier to work with." Lina said.

"Oh well. We can always empty it ourselves." Xellos said, grinning.

"Mister Xellos!" Amelia gasped incredulously. "You can't do that! We're underage!"

"I'm certainly not." Xellos replied. "And neither is Filia."

"I'm not." Gourry commented.

"Technically I'm not." Pokota mentioned.

"My birthday is in how long? Several months?" Lina asked. "I'm _almost_ 21, so what's the difference?"

"I'm old enough." Zelgadis said.

"What? You too, Zelgadis? I don't believe this!" Amelia fumed, turning back to Xellos. "Take that back to wherever you got it from! It's _my _sleepover and I won't allow it!"

"Alright, alright." Xellos sighed, making the bottle disappear and replacing it with one that looked very similar. "Here, it's sparkling grape juice. You happy now?"

"Thank you." Amelia huffed. The group took glasses of the grape juice instead, with Lina angrily muttering something about 'taking risks once in a while.'

"Okay, now that we're in a circle, let's start the game! Who should go first?" Amelia enthused.

"Let's make Xellos go first. As part of his punishment." Lina said, glaring at the monster.

"But Miss Lina!" Filia protested. "Wouldn't that also be a punishment to all of us? I mean..." The dragon also cast a glare at the monster, remembering an event earlier that morning. "who in the world would want to kiss _Xellos_?"

"Hey! What do you mean by that?" Xellos asked, sounding hurt.

"Actually... that's a good question..." Lina sighed, glancing around. "No one wants to kiss Xellos."

"Then why don't we play a different game?" Filia asked.

"That's a good idea." Lina agreed. "How about truth or dare? We are already in a circle, after all."

"Okay! How do you play truth or dare?" Amelia asked.

"Well, we go around the circle, each person taking a turn to ask another person a question. You can't ask someone who has been asked already, that way it's fair to everyone. The person asked has to choose either truth or dare. If they choose 'truth,' then the asker can ask them any question and they have to answer it truthfully. If they choose 'dare,' then the asker can dare them to do anything, and they have to do it." Lina explained. "Here, why don't I start? Then it'll go around the circle so that Pokota is the next to get a turn."

"Okay! Sounds good!" Amelia agreed.

"Alright..." Lina looked around, examining each of her friends carefully. "Xellos! Truth or dare?"

Xellos thought for a moment. "Well... since I don't like giving away information, I'll pick 'dare."

"Okay..." Lina said, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. She was going to have fun with this. "I dare you to... get up in front of everyone and sing the 'Life is Wonderful' song!"

Xellos looked at Lina in surprise. "I chose a dare, not a death sentence!"

"You're not going to die." Lina chided. "Just suffer a bit of embarrassment. That's what this whole game is about, isn't it?"

"Yeah! Miss Lina is right!" Amelia enthused. "I'd like to see you sing too!"

"Be a man and do it, Xellos!" Pokota ordered.

Xellos sighed. "Alright... fine... how did that song go again?"

"Here are the lyrics!" Amelia said, handing Xellos a piece of paper.

"Right..." Xellos said, taking a look at the paper. "Life... is... wonderful..." He could already feel himself choking on the words. Lina and friends watched him as he worked his way through the song.

He had barely reached the second verse when he passed out.

"So much for that dare." Pokota sighed, fanning the unconscious monster with his ears.

"Yeah, whatever..." Lina sighed. "It's your turn, stuffed animal. Pick someone to ask."

Pokota retook his place in the circle next to Lina, and studied the people. "So I can pick anyone except Xellos?" He asked.

"Yep. So pick already." Lina ordered.

"Okay... I pick... Filia! Truth or dare?" Pokota said.

"M-me?" Filia was startled. "Oh... okay... well... at the risk of getting asked a very personal question, I choose dare."

Pokota smirked, remembering what Filia had said earlier. "Okay... I dare you to... kiss Xellos!"

"K-KISS XELLOS?" Filia exclaimed. "No way! Never!"

"You picked dare. You have to do it." Pokota replied.

"I refuse! I refuse!" The dragon asserted.

"Come on, Filia. He's unconscious, so it's not like he's going to tease you about it or anything." Lina persuaded. "Besides, Pokota never specified how long you had to kiss him. It could just be for a fraction of a second."

"Miss Filia, if Mister Xellos had the courage to stand up and sing the 'Life is Wonderful' song for everyone, then you should have the courage to take on your dare as well." Amelia said.

"You'd better hurry, before he wakes up." Pokota said, and then smirked. "That is... unless you want him to be awake to kiss you back."

"Why you little-!" Filia yelled, pulling out her mace. "First you dare me to kiss that stupid monster and now you're teasing me about it? Get back here!" Filia began chasing Pokota around Amelia's bedroom, swinging her mace.

Pokota attempted to dodge for a few seconds, and then suddenly stopped. "You know what? I don't mind! Go ahead and hit me with that mace! I'd like to see you do it!" He said, grinning.

Filia stopped in her tracks. She recognised that look- it was the same one that he had worn when provoking Xellos before. "Uh... well..." Filia put away her mace and took on a peaceful expression. "I realise that it is much better to choose affection over violence. I'll take your dare."

"Oh." Pokota replied, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Alright then! Let's see you do it!"

Filia walked over to Xellos, a disgusted look on her face. She leaned down and kissed him as quickly as possible, her lips barely touching his. "There. Happy now?" She asked.

"Sure." Lina laughed. "That was the fastest kiss I've ever seen, though."

"Whatever." Filia scowled. "Amelia, it's your turn. Choose someone."

"Okay." Amelia replied, looking around. "Umm... Mister Gourry. Truth or dare?"

"Oh, uh..." Gourry thought for a moment. "Well, seeing what everyone else had to go through... I pick truth."

"Got it." Amelia replied, thinking of a good question. "Mister Gourry... what's your middle name?"

"My... middle name?" He asked. "Let's see... it's... um... well..." Gourry clutched his head in an attempt to remember. "I can remember... it's... it's...um..."

"You can't remember? You honestly can't remember?" Amelia asked.

"I'm sorry... I... can't." Gourry sighed.

"You are an embarrassment to jellyfish everywhere." Lina said, giving him a whack over the head.

"Sorry." He replied.

"Whose turn is it now?" Shichiro asked.

"I believe that it's mine." Xellos said, taking his place in the circle between Amelia and Zelgadis.

"Xellos? Since when have you been awake?" Zelgadis asked.

"For a while, actually." Xellos replied. "You're a very bad kisser, Filia dear."

"Why you-" Filia had her mace pulled out again.

"Calm down Filia! You've already been asked, so I can't choose you. So, in this case... I choose Zelgadis! Truth or dare?" Xellos said.

"Are you serious?" Zelgadis bristled. "M-me? You're not making me do anything crazy. I choose truth."

"Oh... and I had such a good idea for a dare too..." Xellos sighed. "Okay, truth. Have you..." The monster paused to think. "Have you even been on a date with Amelia?"

Zelgadis blushed violently. "Th-that is-" He thought for a moment. "Um... define 'date."

"Okay, a date is when you go with someone you like somewhere romantic and have fun." Xellos replied.

Zelgadis paused. "Uh... define 'somewhere romantic."

"I'll take that as a 'yes." Xellos replied, causing Zelgadis to blush further. "It's your turn now, Zelgadis. Pick someone."

The chimera glared at the monster. "I really wish I could do something terrible to you... but Lina already picked you... so... I pick her! Lina, truth or dare?"

"How nice of you." Lina said, glowering at him. "Well, you're not asking me any personal questions. I pick dare."

"Dare, okay..." Zelgadis thought for a minute. "I dare you to... go outside, find a slug, pick it up, and bring it inside to show everyone."

"WH-WHAAAT?" Lina gasped. "You can't possibly be serious! No way!"

"You have to. You picked dare." Zelgadis asserted.

"Well I changed my mind! I want truth!" Lina exclaimed.

"You can't change after you've heard the dare! That's against the rules!" Pokota pointed out.

"Come on, Miss Lina! You're brave enough to do something simple like that!" Filia said. "I had to kiss Xellos! Nothing you could be dared to do could even come close to being as horrible as that!"

"Hey now..." Xellos protested.

"I don't care! I think I'd rather kiss Xellos!" Lina yelled.

"I think_ I'd_ rather you go out and do this dare." Gourry said, grabbing Lina's arm. "How about I go with you and help you? I'm sure that two people looking for slugs will be better than one."

"Getting help from another player? Is that legal?" Amelia asked.

"I doubt it." Zelgadis replied. "You have to do this on your own. It was a dare for Lina, not for Lina and Gourry."

"That's right, Gourry already had his turn!" Pokota said.

"I don't care! I'm Lina's protector! It's my job to help her out!" Gourry argued.

"This is a game of truth or dare. Not a life or death battle. I think she'd be fine without you." Pokota reasoned.

"You know what? I don't care. Let him go with her if he wants. It's just a game after all." Zelgadis said, after having Amelia whisper something about justice to him. "But..." he added. "Lina has to carry the slug. No excuses."

* * *

There wasn't much to do while Lina and Gourry were gone, so most of the people just sat around and talked. Zelgadis and Filia were having some sort of debate, while Amelia was showing Shichiro the view of Seyruun out one of the windows. Pokota, it seemed, had isolated himself from everyone. This troubled Xellos.

"Pokota?" The monster asked. There was a moment with no response, so Xellos asked again. "Pokota?"

"Hmm? What?" Pokota replied.

"You look spaced out. Is there a problem?"

"Huh? No. There's no problem." Pokota replied, in a way that would definitely make someone think that there was a problem with him.

"Really? I don't believe it." Xellos replied, walking closer to the stuffed animal. "Tell me, do you remember any of our fight the other day?"

"Our fight?" Pokota asked. "Well... I couldn't remember it at first, but now... it's pretty clear. I remember you attacking, and then I provoked you, and then you asked Filia to use her holy magic... and that's when I blacked out. So I do remember." The stuffed animal looked proud that he had recalled the events. "I remember now, so it's okay."

"It's not okay." Xellos replied. "You shouldn't remember. In fact, there's a lot you shouldn't remember. But it seems that Filia's spell didn't quite work the way it was supposed to..."

"What? Were you _trying _to erase my memory?" Pokota growled.

"No. We were trying something else, which the erased memory would have been a product of. If you remember what happened, then it's obviously not working." Xellos replied.

"Shut up! You sound as if I'm some sort of science experiment! I don't want you experimenting on me and trying to kill me!" Pokota fumed, rushing over to the other side of the room angrily. Xellos watched the stuffed animal go, even more concerned now than he had been.

"That's exactly the opposite of what we're trying to do." He murmured.

* * *

Xellos looked around the room. It seemed that everyone was asleep, or close to it. Lina was sprawled out on the bed. Gourry had fallen asleep in one of the plush chairs with Pokota curled up on top of his head. Shichiro was lying peacefully on the floor at the foot of the bed with a pillow, and Amelia and Zelgadis were asleep next to each other sitting up against one side of the bed. Filia was asleep against the other side of the bed.

_This has been quite a night, hasn't it? _Xellos though. _We arrived in Seyruun, got invited to a party, played truth or dare, I sang in front of a live audience, got kissed by Filia, messed with Zelgadis, and got to hear Lina Inverse scream. Actually scream. What a night!_

Grabbing Filia's hand, he prepared to teleport back to where they were staying for the night. _It was so much fun, I almost don't feel like attacking them tomorrow. I think I'll give them a day to regroup. Then I'll attack. I hope you're ready for me. _

He glanced toward the dark-haired boy who, in his opinion, was doing a pretty good job of feigning sleep.

_Especially you._

* * *

(A/N: Haha! Oh, this chapter was fun! But poor Pokota is back to where he was before... *sigh* Though this is pretty much the last funny chapter before things start to get serious... and I have to go back to school tomorrow... but I'll do my best to keep the story going!)


	17. 17: A Stuffed Animal's Predicament!

Chapter 17! I'm surprised that I actually got it done today! Who needs homework, right? Heheh... anyway, I do not own Slayers. Enjoy the story, though!

* * *

**17- A Stuffed Animal's Predicament! **

"It sounds like you guys had a good time last night!" Prince Phil enthused the next morning at breakfast.

"It was so much fun! We played all sorts of games!" Amelia exclaimed. "I especially liked that 'truth or dare' game! We made that monster Xellos sing the 'Life is Wonderful' song!"

"You just liked it because Shichiro gave you an easy dare." Lina sighed. "Some people aren't so lenient." The sorceress shot a poisonous glare at the chimera. "I am going to get you back for that eventually, Zel."

"Get him back for what? Does this have anything to do with the screaming we heard last night?" Phil asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"Zelgadis dared Lina to pick up a slug. It was terrible." Gourry said. "She wouldn't let go of me for a full hour. Maybe more. Right Lina?"

Lina blushed, stealing several bites off Gourry's plate. "I am going to get Zel back for that one- for sure!" She mumbled.

"That certainly sounds like quite a party!" Phil laughed. "So what do you plan to do today?"

"I don't know, really." Lina said. "I figure that Xellos may try to attack us, so we should be prepared for it. Right, Pokota?"

Lina addressed the stuffed animal because she noticed that he had not attempted to steal any of her food yet. In fact, his own plate was practically untouched.

After a few seconds with no response from the stuffed animal, Lina repeated his name. "Pokota? Pokota?"

Still no response.

"YO! POKOTA!" Lina snapped her fingers in front of his face. "POKOTA!"

"Hmmm...?" The stuffed animal turned to Lina as if it was the first time he had heard her. "What?"

"You're zoned out! What's the deal?" Lina demanded. "I thought you were back to normal!"

"Back to normal? What do you mean?" Pokota asked, his eyes distant and cloudy, as if he was looking through Lina rather than at her.

"Back to your normal self! As in not like this!" Lina fumed.

"I don't understand why you're so concerned." Pokota said. "It's not that big of a deal whether I'm focused right now or not. It's not like Xellos is going to attack right now."

"He could! You remember that he disappeared while we were asleep last night! We have no idea where he and Filia could have gone! They could be planning to attack right now!"

"Fine, then. Let them attack. I don't care." Pokota sighed. "It would be better than sitting around here and doing nothing."

"I know how you feel- I hate waiting around too! But you're acting really strange and it's ticking me off!" Lina fumed.

"Why does it matter to you how I act?" Pokota asked.

"Because I'm your friend!" Lina shot back. "Or do you not want to be friends anymore?"

"Friends are pointless distractions." Pokota murmured. "Case in point."

Lina was absolutely enraged by that statement. "Distraction?_ I'm_ the distraction? Why you little-!"

Gourry had to grab Lina to keep her from strangling the little animal.

"Hey, Lina! Take it easy! Let's just figure out what we need to do today. That way we'll have something to focus on rather than just arguing all day." Zelgadis said.

"Zelgadis is right. We need to make a plan." Amelia nodded. "I've been thinking..."

"What's that?" Shichiro asked.

"Well, we have these gemstones that could all be the vessel for the Lord of Nightmares, but we can't tell which one it is. I think that we should do some research on magical vessels in order to figure out which one is the vessel that we need to protect from Mister Xellos." Amelia replied.

"That's actually a really good idea. I'm sick of not knowing what it is that we're supposed to protect." Lina agreed.

"If Lina agrees, then I'm in too!" Gourry said. "Sounds good!"

"Where should we do the research? Are there libraries around here?" Shichiro asked.

"There are several- there's one in the west wing on the second floor, though it has mostly historical texts, and there is a larger one near the north end that has a good amount of magical information." Zelgadis said. He was just as informed about the libraries, if not more, than the royal family.

"We could split us and each search a different library." Lina suggested.

"That sounds good." Shichiro said. "Who should go where?"

Lina looked around. "Uh, you, Zel, and Amelia can take the north library, and Gourry, Pokota, and I will take the west one."

"That sounds like a plan to me." Shichiro nodded. "But... what if Xellos attacks? How will we contact each other?"

"I've got a plan. I'll take the gems with me." Lina said. "He's after you because he's after the gems, right? So if you don't have the gems with you, then he has no reason to attack."

"I guess that kind of makes sense..." Shichiro said. "But... what if he goes after you? I don't want him attacking you."

"I can hold my own against Xellos. Trust me." Lina replied. "Besides, I need to keep an eye on that stuffed animal. He's even worse than he was before. I think there's something physically wrong with him."

"Yeah, he was acting that way even at the party last night. After truth or dare was over, he hardly did anything. He just sat in the corner." Amelia observed.

"Well, I'm going to find out what's wrong with him if it's the last thing I do!" Lina fumed. She grabbed Pokota by one ear. "Come on. Let's go. We've got a lot of reading and studying to do."

* * *

"I don't like this. Pokota's condition seems to be progressing faster than we imagined." Xellos said, glancing at his dragon companion. "I wish there was something that I could do myself, but any magic that I use would only damage him and not the source of the problem."

"And you're sure that Phibrizzo is the cause of this?" Filia asked.

"Well, in a roundabout way, yes." Xellos agreed. "That's why my magic won't work against this thing. It's a monster, so I'll only end up doing more harm to Pokota than good."

"I see." Filia nodded. "That's why you need my holy magic, right?"

"Right." Xellos agreed. "We need to get rid of this thing as soon as possible. Phibrizzo is only getting stronger because of it."

"I see." Filia nodded. "Let's just hope that the stuffed animal doesn't do anything drastic before we can intervene."

* * *

Lina placed another book on to a pile that was steadily growing larger. "Nope. Nothing about magical vessels in that one either." She sighed. "This is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"A haystack full of history books!" Gourry added. "I've learned more about the history of Seyruun than I've ever wanted to know! And most of these books don't even have pictures!"

"I know." Lina groaned. They had been looking for information all day- well, except for the two hours it took them to eat lunch. It was beginning to get late, and they still hadn't found any helpful information. "Pokota, what have you found?"

There was no response. Lina realised that she didn't even know the whereabouts of the little animal. "Pokota? Pokota, where are you? Come out, come out wherever you are, you little fuzzball!"

Lina found the stuffed animal sitting in a corner, also with books around him. He had one open, but didn't seem to be paying much attention to it. Hearing Lina approaching him, he looked up. "What do you want? Can't you see that I'm reading just like you asked me to?"

"I can see that you're _not_ reading like I told you to!" Lina growled.

"Well what do you expect me to do?" Pokota fumed. "I set out on a mission to find a powerful weapon, not read about stupid gemstones!"

"You found the Sword of Light, but you gave it to Gourry, remember?" Lina reminded him.

"I know. It was a stupid thing to do." Pokota said. "But there's no helping it now. I at least thought that we'd get involved in some battles, but so far..." He dropped the book that he was looking at currently, and stood up. "I'm tired of this! I just want to get this over with!"

"Get what over with?" Gourry asked nervously. "You mean the battle with Xellos?"

"No! Everything!" Pokota exclaimed. "Just... everything!" His expression clouded, and he looked as though he was in some kind of pain. "Gourry..." He began, much calmer now. "...you told me that I could borrow the Sword of Light if I wanted it... right?"

"Of course! It was yours to begin with!" Gourry assured him.

"Then..." Pokota paused, as if he was making a tough decision. "I... I want to borrow it now!"

"Borrow it now? But why?" Lina asked. "We're in the middle of doing research!"

"I... just do!" Pokota exclaimed. "I'm done with this! I've waited so long, and I'm finally tired of it!" He calmed down slightly again. "Just... I need the Sword of Light for just a short amount of time. Then you can come and get it back. It's yours again. Okay?"

"Um... okay..." Gourry said, pulling out his sword. He began to hand it to Pokota.

"Wait! Wait! Hold on a second! It's my Sword of Light too." Lina said. "What was it you said? We can come and get it? Why can't you just bring it back to us?"

"It's not yours! It's mine! Pokota gave it to _me_!" Gourry exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter, jellyfish-brain! What matters is what Pokota said! If he's asking us to borrow something, then it's polite to return it instead of making people come and get it! That's just common sense!" Lina fumed.

"Are you telling me that I can't borrow it?" Pokota asked, looking as though he might be willing to fight Lina for it.

"I'm not opposed to the idea of you borrowing it, I just think that you ought to be more considerate when asking favours of people. Now why is it that you can't return it when you're finished with it?"

"I... can't return it..." Pokota murmured.

"Why? If you don't have a good answer, I'll just assume that you want to steal the thing instead." Lina said.

"Steal it?" Pokota fumed. "That's absurd! I'll have no need for it once I'm dead!"

"Wh-wha...?" Lina stepped back. "What was that? Dead? What are you talking about? Just what the heck do you want to do with this thing anyway?"

Pokota grabbed the sword from Gourry's hand. "That's none of your business!" He said, leaving the library. Lina and Gourry chased after him.

"Hey! Wait! Get back here, stuffed animal! That's my- _our_ sword!" Lina yelled.

"My sword!" Gourry corrected.

"Shut up! We have not time for this! He's leaving the grounds of the palace, and the city. I think he's trying to hide in those woods." Lina observed.

"Are you sure we can find him? It's getting dark!" Gourry said.

"We'll be able to find him by finding the replica Sword of Light! Come on!" Lina exclaimed.

* * *

"I knew that Pokota was messed up, but I had no idea that it was this bad! That little stuffed animal has completely lost his mind!" Lina yelled as she and Gourry rushed to find their small friend.

"Actually, Miss Lina, he literally has." A voice behind them caused them to stop.

"Xellos? What are you doing here?" Lina clutched the backpack closer to her.

"You don't have to be so concerned, Miss Lina. I'm not here for the vessel. I'm here to help out with Pokota." Xellos assured her.

"What? What do you have to do with Pokota? Did _you_ do this to him?" Lina demanded.

"No, of course I didn't. But I'm glad that you recognise it as the handiwork of a monster." Xellos replied.

"A monster? You're saying a monster did that to him?" Gourry gasped.

"Well, how else would a normally happy, upstanding royal heir fall so far into depression like this?" Xellos asked.

"But how could a monster do something like this?" Lina asked.

"Simple. The monster attaches itself to a victim and acts as a parasite." Xellos replied.

"A parasite?" Gourry asked.

"Yes. It takes over the consciousness of its victim and produces as many negative emotions as it can, in order to feed off them. But the monster's final goal is always the death of its victim."

"You mean...?" Lina gasped.

"Yes. The monster will either put its victim in a dangerous position in order to kill them, or it will drive them to the point of suicide." Xellos nodded.

"So all those times that Pokota trying to pick a fight with you and Filia..." Gourry murmured.

"Right." Xellos replied.

"But wait! Pokota has been Pokota! Not some monster! Are you saying that it's been some monster _pretending_ to be Pokota this whole time?" Lina demanded.

"No." Xellos answered. "Pokota is too strong for the monster to have taken over his consciousness completely. When he was acting like his normal self, the monster had less control over him. But when the monster's control grew greater..."

"Then Pokota got all depressed." Lina nodded. "I see. That's why he was always jumping back and forth between the two... and that's why you used Filia's holy magic against him. Because you were targeting the monster."

"Correct and correct." Xellos said. "That's why his memory was temporarily erased. When the monster occupies his consciousness rather than himself, it remembers the events. Then when the monster is destroyed, so are the monster's memories."

"So if we destroy the monster, then he'll forget everything that's happened since the monster attacked him? And it's been how long? Almost three weeks?" Lina asked.

"I have no idea how much he will forget." Xellos said. "But if we do nothing right now, he will certainly destroy himself. Filia's magic was powerful enough to cause the monster to be forced into dormancy for a time, but it has only grown stronger because of it. "

"Yeah! And he's got the Sword of Light!" Gourry exclaimed. "We need to get it back!"

"But we'll need white magic in order to destroy the monster." Xellos said. "And for that we'll need Filia. Maybe even Amelia for good measure."

"Well go get them!" Lina yelled. "Gourry and I'll go stop that little animal from doing anything to himself! Just hurry, alright?"

"Got it. A dragon and a priestess, coming right up." Xellos replied, smiling. He disappeared to go find the people he was looking for.

"Don't just stand there, idiot! Let's move! We don't know how far that little pipsqueak has gotten!" Lina yelled, dragging Gourry along with her.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming!" Gourry exclaimed.

* * *

Amelia was taking another book off a bookshelf and blowing the dust off. It had obviously not been touched for quite a long time. "Aah..aahcho!" she sneezed from all of the dust.

"Gesundheit." A voice behind her said.

"Oh, thank yo-" Amelia turned around and gasped. "M-Mister Xellos!"

"Hello there, Amelia. Nice to see you again. Thanks so much for inviting me to your party last night. It was great fun." Xellos said.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Amelia demanded.

"Oh, I just came to pick you up. You see, there's a certain stuffed animal that needs your help." Xellos replied.

"Stuffed animal? You mean Mister Pokota?" Amelia asked.

"Precisely." Xellos nodded. "We require help from your white magic in order to keep him from getting hurt, or worse."

"Or worse?" Amelia gasped. "Oh dear! I'll come with you! Just let me find Zelgadis and tell him that I-"

"No time." Xellos replied, grabbing Amelia by her cloak. "I doubt you'll be missed too much. Come on now, we've got a dragon to pick up as well, and I have no idea how long Miss Lina and Gourry can keep him from doing anything drastic."

* * *

"Pokota! Pokota!" Lina yelled. "Pokota, get back here right now! Get back here you little creep!"

"Lina, I don't think calling him a little creep is going to help get him to come back." Gourry mentioned.

"I don't care! If that stupid stuffed animal thinks that he's going to destroy himself, then he's got another thing coming!"Lina fumed. "POKOTA~!"

"Why are you following me?" the stuffed animal's voice called. "Just leave me alone! This doesn't concern you!"

Lina and Gourry caught up to where Pokota was standing, holding the replica Sword of Light. "It does concern us! We're your friends! We care about you! And we're not going to let some random monster make you destroy yourself! It's not fair!"

"Monster? What are you talking about? I'm doing this because it's what needs to be done!" Pokota exclaimed.

"Needs to be done? What do you mean?" Lina asked.

Pokota turned to them with a glare. "Taforashia was attacked by monsters, and I wasn't able to do anything about it. I tried my best to fight, but still I failed to protect them when they needed me most..." Pokota sighed. "I need to be more responsible... or I'll never be a good prince..."

"And you think that killing yourself is going to help? If you do that, not only will you never be a good prince, but you'll never be a good _anything_!" Lina cried.

"I...I..." Pokota began. "...d-don't talk to me! I don't care! _Light Come Forth_!" The blade of the Sword of Light blazed forth, causing Lina and Gourry to step back warily. Pokota raised the sword threateningly, but was stopped by a voice behind him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You'd regret it."

Pokota turned around. "Xellos?" He gasped.

"Mister Pokota, stop this madness right now! You can't do this to yourself! You don't deserve it!"

"Amelia! Filia! What are you all doing here?" Pokota demanded. "Why can't you all just leave me alone?"

"Mister Pokota, please!" Filia begged. "You can't do this! You're a human! You must have the will to live!"

"I'm no human! I'm just some stupid stuffed animal!" Pokota spat.

"Mister Pokota, I know you must think that because of your appearance, but you've got to understand that appearances aren't everything!" Amelia yelled. "Beneath the surface there is a human spirit within you, and you just need the self-confidence to let it show!"

"I...I..." Pokota stammered, looking around frantically. Xellos noted the stuffed animal's frenzied appearance.

"Filia! Amelia! Keep talking to him! You're bringing him to his senses! He's fighting back!" Xellos encouraged.

"You think that... just because I'm human... that I should have the will to live...?" Pokota said.

"Mister Pokota, humans live very short lives compared to monsters and dragons." Filia said. "But because of this, they lead full, meaningful lives in a short amount of time! There's so much that you haven't done yet- you can't give up on life! You just can't!"

"Miss Filia is right!" Amelia agreed. "You can't give up! It's unjust to yourself and the people who care about you! I'm sure that everyone in Taforashia would agree with me!"

"T-Taforashia...I..." Pokota began.

"Filia! Amelia! Now! The monster is the weakest that it's been! Fire your attacks now!" Xellos ordered.

"Right!" Amelia grinned. She and Filia prepared powerful white magic spells in order to fight the monster that was plaguing their friend.

A blast of light energy could be seen even from the city of Seyruun. Lina and her friends watched as the light died down. Xellos reappeared and teleported over to examine the stuffed animal that was lying motionless on the ground.

"Well...?" Lina asked, walking up to him. "Is the monster...?"

"The monster has been destroyed." Xellos said. "Though I can't tell whether the same goes for Pokota himself..."

"Mister Pokota!" Filia gasped, falling to the ground, shaking the stuffed animal gently. "Please wake up, Mister Pokota!"

"Come on, get up! We know you can, pipsqueak!" Lina yelled.

"Nnnnnn... who are you... calling... a pipsqueak...?"

Lina and her friends gasped. "Oh! He's okay!" Amelia said.

"Huh? What happened? Where am I...? Lina? Gourry? Amelia? Xellos? What are you doing here? Who are _you_?" He asked, turning to Filia.

Filia smiled at the stuffed animal. "I am a friend of Miss Lina and a_ temporary_ companion of Xellos. And I am also a person who is relieved to see that you are alive and unharmed."

"But how did I get here? The last thing I remember is a monster attacking Taforashia... I tried to fight it, but it ended up attacking me, and then..." His voice trailed off.

"Yeah, well... you'll probably have a hard time believing this... but that was over three weeks ago..." Lina said.

"Th-three weeks?" Pokota gasped. "But what happened between then and now...?"

"That... is such a long and complicated story that I have no idea where to start." Lina replied.

"Huh?" Pokota gasped. "B-but...?"

"Don't worry, Miss Lina. He will slowly regain the memories that the monster took from him. After all, he did have control over his consciousness the majority of the time." Xellos explained.

"What a relief!" Lina sighed.

"So... you mean that monster stole three weeks worth of memories from me?" Pokota gasped.

"Yep. But you'll get them back!" Lina exclaimed. "So let's just quit worrying about it and head back to the palace! Isn't it about time for dinner?"

"Dinner!" Gourry exclaimed happily.

"Well... from what I do remember, you two really haven't changed at all since I last saw you." Pokota commented.

"Of course not!" Lina grinned. The group started back toward the palace. Lina began to talk to Amelia, but noticed something.

"Gee Amelia, what happened to your head?" Lina asked.

"Huh? What do you mean...?" Amelia asked. "...oh! That!"

"Yeah, you've got a pretty nasty bruise. What happened?" Lina pointed out.

Amelia put a hand to her forehead and winced, as it must have hurt more than she expected it to. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just being clumsy this morning, that's all. I kind of tripped." She said.

"It's nothing? It looks like it hurt." Pokota said.

"No, seriously. It doesn't hurt at all." Amelia defended.

"You know that it's unjust to lie." Xellos pointed out with a smirk.

"I'm fine." Amelia assured them. "You really don't have to worry. That sort of thing happens to me a lot!"

"I still think that you should put some ice on it." Filia said. "It would heal faster."

"Fine..." Amelia sighed. "I'll put some ice on it. Are you happy?"

"Good." Filia responded. "Now I suppose that you need to hurry back to your friends and tell them what happened."

* * *

"Yo! Shichiro! Zel! We're back!" Lina called. They met Shichiro at the door of the library.

"Oh, there you are. And you have Amelia as well. How did she end up with you guys?" Shichiro said. "Say, what happened to you?" He gestured to the ice that Amelia was holding over her forehead.

"Oh. I bumped my head this morning, and Miss Filia made me get some ice for it. I already told her that it didn't hurt, but she insisted." Amelia replied.

"Filia? You mean Xellos' dragon friend? What were you doing with her?" Shichiro asked.

"It's a long story." Lina sighed.

"A really long story." Pokota agreed.

"I see..." Shichiro nodded. "Well, there will be time to tell it later."

"Right! We will!" Amelia said, trying to take the ice off her head.

"Put that back, Amelia. You may have a high pain tolerance, but that doesn't mean you need to keep getting hurt. If you keep hitting your head on stuff, you'll get brain damage." Lina scolded. "Do you _want _to end up like Gourry?"

"Hey!" Gourry protested.

"Oh! Zel! There you are!" Lina called. "Hey, why didn't you say hello when we walked in?"

Zelgadis stood beside a bookshelf, with a large book held open in his hands. He glanced over to the group that had just walked in. "Hey." He said bluntly, and turned his attention back to the book.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia yelled, running up to hug him.

"A...Amelia..." He stammered, surprised somewhat at her display of affection. "Where have you been anyway?" He asked coldly, separating himself from her grasp.

"I helped out Mister Pokota!" Amelia said, upset that Zel had gotten out of her hug.

"I see..." He nodded. "That's good."

"NO~!" Lina groaned, putting her head in her hands.

"L-Lina! What's wrong?" Gourry asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"We finally cured Pokota... and now Zel is back to being depressed! Why can't we all be happy for once! Honestly?" Lina questioned.

"I don't know what in the world you're talking about." Zelgadis said, glaring at Lina.

"You guys... I'm concerned." Gourry mentioned. "When Xellos left, he said 'see you tomorrow.' Does that mean that he's planning to attack us tomorrow?"

"That's what we all figured!" Lina yelled, hitting her companion on the head.

"Xellos is going to attack tomorrow, huh?" Shichiro murmured. "Well then.. it looks like we're getting closer to the final showdown. We'll have to be prepared."

* * *

(A/N: Aaaand... Pokota is back! Yay! I missed that little guy. Now he's finally back in character... just in time to get wrapped up in more dangerous situations... *sigh*)


	18. 18: Jewels and Secrets? It's about time!

Chapter 18! Things are about to get very interesting! But I still do not own Slayers- I just enjoy writing about the characters. That's why it's called fanfiction. :3

* * *

**18- Jewels and Secrets? It's about time!**

"_Xellos is going to attack tomorrow, huh?" Shichiro murmured. "Well then.. it looks like we're getting closer to the final showdown. We'll have to be prepared." _

The next day was practically agony for the group.

Xellos never showed up.

Not even once.

Lina sat at the dinner table of the restaurant that they were eating at, scarfing down food irritably. They would have had dinner at the palace, but Lina and her friends had hung around the palace all day, and she was dying to get out of there. In between fighting Gourry and Pokota (who now remembered most of the past two weeks' events) for food, Lina took a chance to glare at Zelgadis. He hadn't been very sociable at all during the day, his head buried in a book. Lina decided that she should take a look to see what he was reading- just to find out what was so important. She figured that it must have something to do with that jewel, but she wasn't sure. "Yo, Zel. Let me borrow this. Please and thank you." She said, grabbing the book from his hands.

"H-hey! I was reading that-" He protested.

Lina sat down, looking at the text of the book carefully. "What's this? She asked. "A book of transformation spells?" She examined it for another moment and then slammed it down on the table angrily. "This is for your stupid cure, isn't it?"

"What do you mean, 'stupid?" Zelgadis asked, scowling at Lina. "This is something very important to me."

"Yeah, well we've got things to do that are very important to the _world_!" Lina fumed. "And besides, what happened to that jewel that you were looking for?"

"Found it." He replied simply, taking a sip of his tea.

Lina sat for a moment, letting the chimera's last two words sink in. "Found it? As in you FOUND the jewel already? The one that we were looking for?"

"Yeah." Zelgadis nodded.

"B-but when? Where? Where is the jewel anyway? I want to see it!" Lina demanded, her food temporarily forgotten.

"Can't." Zelgadis replied, still drinking his tea. "It's not a real jewel- it's metaphorical."

Lina's eye twitched. "M-metaphorical? We spent all that time looking for a gem that was nothing but a _metaphor_?"

"Yep." Zelgadis nodded.

Lina stood up angrily, causing Gourry, Shichiro, and Pokota to back away from her slightly. "You mean... we spent all that time... looking for some crazy nonexistent gem... and get ourselves into all this trouble because of it?"

"So... the gem that Zel was looking for has nothing to do with all the things that are going on?" Gourry asked.

"Nope. It has nothing to do with that whatsoever." Zelgadis confirmed.

"That's surprising." Gourry observed.

"What do you mean?" Pokota asked.

"Well... I just kind of expected some sort of plot twist in which Zel's gem ended up being related to, or even being that vessel that we've been looking for." Gourry said.

"Yeah, that would make a lot of sense..." Pokota agreed.

"Look, I don't care what kind of crazy plot twist you guys expected, I'm just furious that he neglected to tell us about it!" Lina fumed. "And what reason do you have to be so negative now! You're the one that found this stupid gem! What's the matter with you?"

"You wouldn't understand." Zelgadis murmured angrily.

"Wouldn't understand? What exactly is it that I don't understand? You're going to have to give a better excuse than that!" Lina demanded.

Zelgadis stood up, banging his hand on the table. The wood splintered under his grip, but he didn't feel it. "Listen, Lina!" He spat. "You obviously have noticed, since you keep bringing it up, but I'm sick and tired of being some freakish monster! And no matter what I do, I can't seem to get rid of this curse! It's running my life, and I don't want it to ruin everyone else's as well!"

Everyone in the group was surprised at the chimera's outburst, especially after how quiet he had been all day. Amelia gasped. "B-but Zelgadis-"

"You can save it, Amelia! I already know what you're going to say, alright?" He fumed.

"Zel, come on! Calm down! There's no reason to get worked up!" Gourry said.

"If you're trying to pick a fight, I'd be happy to give you one!" Lina yelled.

"Do you really think that you want to mess with me right now?" Zelgadis growled.

"Oh, I think so!" Lina shot back. "Since we're deciding to be so selfish all of a sudden!"

"Selfish? Why you-" Zel put a hand on the hilt of his sword , but decided against it. "I'm done here!" He exclaimed, rushing out of the restaurant.

"Zel! Get back here!" Lina called out.

"Don't follow me!" Zelgadis yelled. As he left, he felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him. Remembering Lina's outburst, he whacked it away. "I said don't follo-" he turned slightly to see Amelia, stepping back slightly from him. His expression changed from anger to pain, and he turned quickly and rushed out of the building as fast as he could.

"Gee... I wonder what his problem is..." Lina observed. "Hey Amelia, are you okay...?"

Amelia had her head down, avoiding any eye contact with her friends. She then quickly rushed out the doors as well.

"Amelia! Hey, wait!" Gourry called.

"Look what you did, Lina! You didn't have to go and make them both so upset!" Pokota chided.

"Me? You think this is my fault?" Lina asked.

"Well, you were the one who picked the fight with Zelgadis." Shichiro pointed out.

"Honestly!" Lina sighed. "This is not my fault!"

"Well, it certainly seems like you're at fault here, Lina." Pokota said.

"I agree." Gourry nodded. "You should really apologise to Zel."

"Apologise? What for?" Lina growled, glaring angrily at Gourry. The swordsman backed away a few steps.

"Uh... Lina? Have I ever told you that your eyes sparkle in the most beautiful way when you get mad?" Gourry asked timidly.

"Idiot! Do you think that complimenting me will get you out of trouble every time I get mad at you?" Lina fumed.

"Um... could it?" Gourry questioned, an innocent look on his face.

"Fat chance!" Lina swung her slipper at his face. "Save the compliments for when they're appreciated, moron!"

"Sorry..." Gourry sighed. "But I wonder where Zel went off to... we should try to go find him..."

"And then I'll fight it out with him! One on one!" Lina exclaimed. "I'm sick of waiting for Xellos! I want to beat up on someone NOW!"

"I suppose we should go look for your friend." Shichiro said, getting up.

"Right. He couldn't have gotten too far." Pokota agreed.

* * *

Actually, Zelgadis could have gotten pretty far.

He had retreated to one of the mountains bordering the city of Seyruun. He was trying to find someplace where he could be alone and easily take out his frustration. Zelgadis had found a place on the mountainside where there were a lot of loose boulders. He took his sword and struck at the rocks, leaving deep scars until the rock finally broke in half and he moved onto another one. It was good for relieving stress, but it didn't help with his problems.

_Stupid Lina! _He thought angrily, his strikes becoming more and more violent. _It's not like I haven't been trying to find my cure this whole time! She's so inconsiderate sometimes! I mean...I do want to find my cure... because it's not just hurting me anymore..._

Zelgadis though sadly of the girl who had tried to stop him. Amelia. He'd nearly hit her without realising it, and yelled at her on top of it. _Oh, Amelia... _he thought sadly. _She's probably really upset with me right now, and I can't say that I blame her. I've been so rude to her, not just now, but all day. I don't deserve that girl- I can't imagine how she ever got the idea of us together... She'd be so much better off with someone who won't seriously injure her by accident if... _He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. "Idiot!" He yelled, striking the rock viciously. "Why am I such an idiot?" The rock that he was attacking broke into several pieces which flew out in all directions. There was a muffled shriek from one direction that the rock shards had flown.

Turning to where the sound had come from, Zelgadis positioned his sword defensively. "Who's there?" He demanded.

"I... I..." Amelia's voice answered back. She stood up from behind her hiding place, and Zelgadis quickly pulled his sword away. He walked up to the princess quickly, an indecipherable expression on his face.

"Zelgadis... I... I'm sorry...I mean... I know you said not to follow you... but..." Amelia was suddenly cut off by the chimera who wrapped his arms around her.

"Amelia..." He sighed. "Darn it, I'm the one who should be apologising. You didn't do anything wrong. I just... just..." His voice trailed off as he loosened his grip around her somewhat. "I got mad for no reason and said some things that I shouldn't have. I'm just worried..."

"Worried about what?" Amelia asked.

"Just... I don't want other people getting hurt because of me... especially you..."

"It... it's about this, isn't it?" Amelia asked, lifting up her bangs on the right side of her forehead. The bruise from the previous day was still visible.

"W-well...uh..."

"Why did you let it bother you so much?" Amelia asked. "After all, I was the one who ran into you. I was being a klutz. We should have both laughed about it. I thought it was pretty funny, banging heads like that!"

"Funny, maybe if I'd been a regular human." Zelgadis sighed. "But... look at that. That's a pretty serious injury, Amelia."

"It is not." The princess defended, sitting down. "You're just making it out to be worse than it is."

Zelgadis sat down beside her. "You can't see it the way I can, Amelia. If you looked in a mirror, you might realise what I'm talking about, but you've just got to trust me when I tell you what I can see. I wouldn't lie to you, Amelia."

Amelia gave him a stern look. "You're really one to talk, Zelgadis." She said bluntly. "Listen to yourself. Don't you think that maybe there are things about yourself- good things- that you can't see but I can? What makes you think that I'd lie to you about something like that?"

"I..." He didn't know how to respond. Amelia had such a good point, but still... "I don't... want you getting hurt..."

"There's more to being hurt than just physical pain, you know." Amelia stated. "Don't you ever think about how much it would hurt me if you went away? If I lost you? That would hurt so much more than just banging my head on occasion."

"I... I guess I just didn't think-"

"You just didn't think. That's all." Amelia nodded.

"...right. I'm sorry." Zelgadis looked at Amelia's forced scornful expression with a grin. "Can you forgive me?" He asked.

"No need. I already did." Amelia replied.

Zelgadis smiled. "You're such an amazing person, Amelia. It's so rare to find someone who is so beautiful inside and outside. How in the world did you end up with someone like me?"

"You have to stop asking that question." Amelia laughed. "Or else I'm going to start wondering how an immature, naive girl like me ended up with such a brave, strong, wonderful person like you."

"Naive?" Zelgadis gasped. "How in the world...?" He realised that it did kind of make sense. He remembered when he had first met Amelia- she was certainly immature and naive, no doubt about it. But she changed. And so did Zel's opinion of her...

"See your reaction? Familiar, isn't it?" Amelia pointed out. "You're so eager to criticise your own faults, but you won't point out the problems with others."

"Right... and your point is...?"

Amelia shook her head sadly. "Don't be so hard on yourself. It makes the people who love you upset. If it were someone else that were talking about you the way you talk about yourself, then I'd make sure that the Hammer of Justice brought down painful retribution upon them. But I can't very well do that to you... can I?"

Zelgadis laughed. "Oh, I guess not."

They both sat laughing for a few moments, both happy that whatever disagreement there had been between them seemed to be solved.

"Hey, Zelgadis?" Amelia finally said after her laughing had died down.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Well, I was just thinking-"

"YO! ZEL! ARE YOU AROUND HERE?" A voice from a short distance away called. Zelgadis looked up.

"Th-that's..."

"Miss Lina!" Amelia gasped. "She must have found us!"

"I guess so." Zelgadis agreed, getting up. Amelia followed him. The two of them met Lina, Gourry, Shichiro, and Pokota.

"There you are! I finally found you!" Lina exclaimed. "Listen, there's some things that I need to say to you!"

"And likewise for me." Zelgadis agreed. "Look, Lina... I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier... I got upset and carried away... and it wasn't the right thing to do. I apologise."

Amelia looked at the chimera with an admiring gaze. Lina, however, seemed absolutely shocked.

"Wh-what? You're supposed to yell at me and challenge me to a duel, not apologise!" She protested.

"Why? There's no need for that. I was the one who was wrong in this situation, and I apologise for it." Zelgadis replied, giving Lina a puzzled look.

"Great! He picks _now _to feel remorse!" Lina fumed. "Now who am I going to beat up on?" She cast a wistful glance at her tall swordsman companion.

"Don't you dare look at me!" Gourry exclaimed, stepping away from Lina a few steps.

"Hey you guys?" Shichiro began, turning around and looking in the direction that they had come from. "I'm not sure... but I have a strange feeling that we're being followed.

"Followed?" Lina looked up, as did her other friends. They could suddenly sense that something wasn't quite right.

"Oh, dear me. You figured me out. And I was going for a dramatic entrance too. Oh well... I guess I'll just cut to the chase." The familiar, dark figure of a monster appeared in front of them.

"M-Mister Xellos!" Amelia gasped, grabbing onto Zelgadis. The chimera put a protective arm around the princess and drew his sword.

"So... you finally showed up, eh Xellos?" Lina grinned. "About time. I was getting so bored, I almost started beating up on Gourry."

"Oh my! How dreadful! Well, there's certainly no need for this violence." Xellos said. "As per Filia's request, I'm not going to attack you until you've heard the whole story."

"The whole story?" Lina asked, throwing the monster a puzzled look. "What more is there to the story? And how do we know you're not lying or just keeping more secrets? You're not exactly the most trustworthy guy around, Xellos!"

"Yeah! Give us one good reason why we should trust what you have to say!" Zelgadis demanded.

"Now, now. Calm down. I only want to tell you for your own good-"

"Our own good is none of your business! Especially when you're here to hurt us, or at least one of our friends! We won't let you have your way!" Lina fumed.

"Miss Lina is right! This is a very unjust thing to do, Mister Xellos, even for you!" Amelia agreed.

"Oh my. Do you all really hate me that much?" Xellos asked, sounding hurt. "After all, I did help save Pokota yesterday. Aaaand~ we had so much fun at that sleepover the other night..."

"The fact that you saved_ my_ life has nothing to do with the fact that you're trying to _take_ Shichiro's!" Pokota growled.

"That isn't completely true..." Xellos began, but Lina cut him off with a Fireball. "Yikes! Miss Lina! What was that for?"

"You're attacking us, right? I'm just fighting back!" Lina growled.

"Fighting back, are you? Fine. Two can play at that game." Xellos said. He created a dark attack that he sent spiralling at the group. Lina and her friends jumped back to dodge.

"Dang! That's a new one on me! I didn't realise that Xellos had such powerful attacks that I didn't even know about!" Lina gasped.

"Quickly! Let's get out of here! This way!" Shichiro called, motioning his friends in one direction. They quickly followed. Xellos watched the group.

"Running away? Tsk, tsk. That's certainly not very brave of you. I'd better go attack as fast as I can. At least I can tell Filia that I attempted to tell them the whole story. Ah, but they wouldn't listen~!"

* * *

Lina and her friends rushed as fast as they could, following after Shichiro. The mountain terrain was rugged, but they were used to it. It was already dark out, so Lina and Amelia held up lighting spells so that they could see where they were going.

No one said much as they ran, but suddenly the silence was broken by Gourry.

"Lina!" He called.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Lina asked.

"No... Lina! I just realised something!"

"Well good for you!" Lina snapped. "But right now we need to find a place to hide out from Xellos!"

"There's a little cave up ahead!" Shichiro called. "Do you think we should take shelter in it?"

"That sounds like a good idea!" Lina called back. The group filed into the small cave, realising that it led deeper into the mountain.

"Huh? This is strange. It's more like a passageway than a cave." Pokota observed.

"Yeah, I know." Lina agreed. "I wonder what's down here."

The group began to pass large crystals that were growing on the walls of the cave. They caught Lina's attention, but not because she thought they were pretty. They reminded her of crystals she had seen before... crystals that terrified her... not because of the crystals themselves, but because of the people trapped inside them...

"This can't be..." Zelgadis began.

"What is it?" Pokota asked. Suddenly there was a gasp from the front of the group. The passageway led into an enormous chamber, with giant crystal structures everywhere. "This place..." Lina gasped. "It kind of looks like... kind of looks like..."

"Zelgadis! Do you think this could be the place we read about...?" Amelia asked nervously.

"Place that you read about?" Gourry questioned. "What place?"

"A place within the mountains near Seyruun." Zelgadis replied. "A place built by Hellmaster Phibrizzo during the War of the Monster's Fall. He designed it so that he could observe all the things that were going on in the fight that he started. Apparently he could even create miniature dimensions in which to hide, in case anyone actually did discover his hideout. But it was supposed to be hidden where no one, not even the monsters, could find it."

"Hellmaster Phibrizzo." Lina choked. She could see the crystals around her and suddenly felt a surge of fear at the memories that they brought back.

"Hidden where no one could find it, eh? A pretty weak hiding place if you ask me. But, then again, I did follow you here." Xellos' voice called from behind them.

Lina and the others turned around quickly. They hadn't thought that Xellos would be able to find them, but apparently he had been following them quite intently.

"Xellos! I'm sick of this! Leave us alone!" Lina yelled. She grabbed the backpack that she had around her shoulder and waved it at him. "We're not going to let you have the vessel!"

"Oh, it that what you think it's about? The contents of that backpack? How interesting. What if I were to do this?" Xellos snapped his fingers and a pair of spinning dark cones overtook the bag in Lina's hand. She dropped it instantly and watched it slowly consumed by the spinning darkness. The bag and all its contents were destroyed.

"The jewels!" Amelia gasped.

"The vessel!" Pokota exclaimed.

Xellos laughed. "You actually thought that one of those puny gemstones could actually serve as a vessel for the Lord of Nightmares herself? Get real!"

Lina was absolutely baffled. She looked around, and the looks on the faces of her companions were very similar to hers. None of them looked as if they had expected this- no one, that is, except for Gourry. He was simply standing with that clueless expression he always wore. Lina decided that this could only mean two things- one, that he was too stupid to fully comprehend the situation, or two, that he had expected this to happen.

But what were the odds that it was the second reason?

"Xellos, I'm sick of this!" Lina fumed! "Let's just get this stupid fight over with!"

"With pleasure." Xellos agreed, creating an enormous, dark attack. He was aiming directly at Shichiro. The dark-haired boy looked up as if he was stuck in that one spot, as Xellos prepared a powerful attack.

"Shichiro!" Lina yelled, throwing herself between the boy and the attack just as it was fired. Xellos recoiled, both from the attack and the shock of seeing Lina put herself in the path of destruction. "Lina, no!" He gasped.

"LINA!" Gourry's yell could be heard echoing through the whole room. In a split second, Shichiro grabbed the girl and thrust her aside, reaching up to where the attack was coming. He held up his hand against the attack and actually managed to shield himself and Lina from the blast.

"N-no way..." Amelia gasped. "That's impossible! That was an incredibly powerful attack!"

"Yeah..." Zelgadis agreed. "And to be able to block it with a single hand without breaking a sweat..."

Shichiro waved the attack aside. "Xellos!" He began. "In the beginning, you were just a nuisance, but now you've really started to annoy me! Get out of here now!" The boy fired an identical attack directly back at Xellos, only his was insanely more powerful.

They could hear the monster's agonised scream as the attack nearly tore him apart. The darkness around the area cleared, and the group saw nothing left.

Xellos was no longer there.

"M-Mister Xellos..." Amelia gasped. "H-he can't be..."

"He isn't." Shichiro stated bluntly. "That attack might have been powerful, but it wasn't quite enough to kill him. Though, he shouldn't be back to bother us for a while now. A very long while."

"What happened to 'I can do a few things, like lighting spells and stuff?" Lina scoffed.

"Yeah! Where the heck did that attack come from?" Pokota asked. "Why didn't you tell us that you could do that in the first place?"

"Well..." Shichiro smiled. "You see... it's kind of a funny story."

"Oh! I've got it!" Gourry exclaimed, putting his fist into his palm.

"Got what?" Lina asked.

"I've finally figured out who the human is that needs to die in order for the vessel to work!"

The entire group fell flat on their faces.

"Um, that's great and I'm proud of you... but... WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS?" Lina fumed. "We've known that almost from the start! Shichiro is the one that Xellos is after, so it's obviously Shichiro! Remember?"

"Huh?" Gourry looked confused. "It's not Shichiro."

The entire group cast him an odd look. "It's not?" Pokota asked.

"No." Gourry replied.

"But then why in the world would Mister Xellos target him?" Amelia asked. "We do know for sure that Mister Xellos was after Mister Shichiro!"

Gourry shook his head. "Xellos wants Shichiro, but for a different reason."

"A different reason? And what would that be?" Lina asked.

"Xellos is after Shichiro because Shichiro is the one who is trying to steal the vessel, and Xellos doesn't want him to get it." Gourry explained.

"But Mister Gourry! That doesn't make any sense! It's the monster race that is after the vessel! If what you say is true, then that would make Mister Shichiro a monster!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Well... he never said that he was a human." Gourry shrugged.

The entire group turned to look at Shichiro, who was actually laughing and clapping. "Amazing! Amazing, really!" The boy took a step forward, and looked directly at Gourry, his amber eyes filled with a malevolence that they had never seen in them before. "You play the part of the idiot really well, you know that?" Shichiro turned and began talking happily, as if having a pleasant conversation. "And here my plan was going so perfectly. I had you all so completely fooled. I guess I have to thank you for throwing me a curveball. It certainly makes things more interesting. I thought that someone might figure it out beforehand, but I never expected it to be you."

"Y-you mean that... all those things are true...?" Amelia choked.

"So it was all a trick this whole time?" Zelgadis demanded.

Shichiro laughed again. "Of course. Oh, but I'm curious, Gourry. I want to know just how much you figured out. Tell me, did you really figure out who the human is who must die for the vessel to work? Surely you must know by now, if you're as smart as you appear now."

Gourry looked around nervously. "Well... the human who has to die..." He paused, taking a deep breath.

"It's _me_, isn't it?"

Shichiro narrowed his eyes, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Bravo, again, Mister Gabriev."

* * *

(Finally! "Shichiro's" true nature is revealed! Haha~ And Gourry had a moment of intelligence. Let's all clap for him. *claps for Gourry*:3)


	19. 19: Heated Battle! The Real Enemy!

(Things are really starting to get serious now! :3 But I do not own Slayers, I just enjoy writing random stuff about the characters. Anyway, enjoy.)

* * *

**19- Heated Battle! The Real Enemy!**

As the group ran as fast as they could to get away from Xellos, Gourry was thinking as hard as he could. He had to figure this out! There must be some way that he could figure out what was going on! Maybe... Lina was pretty smart. He knew that. Perhaps if he thought about what Lina had said before, he could figure stuff out. He thought back to everything he had heard Lina say, and tried to pick out the important things.

"_That's true." Lina replied. "Funny, it feels as if we've known him for much longer."_

It did feel as though they had known Shichiro longer. But where had they known him...?

"_Xellos never said what the vessel was, just that he needed it. It could be a regular rock, or not even a rock at all. It could be an animal, or even a person as far as we know." Lina reasoned._

Not a gemstone? But if it wasn't a gemstone, then what could it be...?

"_Well..." Lina blushed. "I guess... you do know that he's not going to steal me or anything, right?"_

...

...That's it!

"Lina!" Gourry gasped.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"No... Lina! I just realised something!" He replied.

"Well, good for you! But we've got to find somewhere to hide from Xellos!" She said, completely ignoring Gourry. He decided that he'd keep a special eye on her, just in case.

Just in case, maybe, his hunch was right.

* * *

"What?"

There was a general gasp from the group around Gourry and Shichiro. "G-Gourry?" Lina stammered. "B-but that doesn't make any sense! Why in the world would _he _need to die?"

Shichiro shot a mischievous grin at Gourry. "Miss Lina Inverse is right. Why would you need to die? I want to see if you know."

"Lina, think about it!" Gourry said. "What would you do if I died?"

Lina was taken by surprise. She didn't want to even imagine any situation in which the person she loved would be killed...

"What kind of question is that? It doesn't-"

"Lina! Come on! Think! If I died..." Gourry said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "...you'd cast the Giga Slave, wouldn't you?"

Lina felt her breath catch in her throat. "The... the Giga Slave..."

"The Giga Slave? That's that really powerful one, right?" Pokota asked.

"The one that once called upon the Lord of Nightmares herself..." Zelgadis murmured.

"But that would mean that the vessel... Miss Lina is-" Amelia gasped.

"Right again." Shichiro nodded. "You guys actually believed that a small crystal would hold enough power to support the Lord of Nightmares? How pathetic. Believe me- I've _seen_ someone become possessed by the Lord of Nightmares. It's no trivial task."

"Wait! Mister Xellos was trying to protect the vessel!" Amelia gasped. "And now that I think about it, he was trying not to hurt Miss Lina! That means that Mister Xellos has been the good guy this whole time, and _you _were the bad guy!"

"Ah, yes. Being the villain really is quite fun." Shichiro smiled.

Lina was suddenly terrified- she couldn't believe that she'd been so easily tricked. Suddenly, she felt Gourry's arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

"You can't have Lina! I won't let you!" The swordsman yelled, with a defensive anger that slightly scared his friends.

"Oh? Trying now to protect what's yours?" Shichiro asked.

"Lina doesn't belong to anyone!" Gourry shot back. "As much as I'd like to say she's mine... I'm just her protector! But still, I'll protect her with my very life if I have to! I won't let you lay a finger on her!"

In any other situation, Lina would have been furious with the way Gourry was treating her. But the situation was serious now, and his arms around her were the most reassuring thing that Lina could hope for- though they didn't do much. Lina turned toward her protector and threw her arms around his waist.  
"Gourry! Be careful! You've got to remember how much power he has!" She begged.

"Oh, I remember, alright." Gourry nodded.

Lina had a strange feeling that he didn't quite grasp the boy's power the way he should. They had explained it to him several times, but Gourry was never very good with explanations. "Gourry, you were unconscious the entire time we fought him! How would you know?"

Shichiro stepped forward toward the two, causing Gourry to flinch and pull Lina away. "Miss Lina, don't you remember that I kidnapped him? He knows full well what I am capable of."

Lina remembered the time when Gourry was kidnapped, and the swordsman felt her grip around him tighten.

"B-but that means... Mister Shichiro..." Amelia gasped.

"Amelia... you can stop using the fake name. We all know who he really is by now." Lina spat.

"Of course you do." Phibrizzo replied, grinning. "And now, let's figure out where to begin."

* * *

"You all are familiar with my power, so intimidation won't have the same effect that it did the first time..." Phibrizzo sighed. "So... why don't I start with the stuffed animal?"

"Wh-what?" Pokota gasped.

"Pokota!" Lina called.

"Mister Pokota!" Amelia yelled.

With a wave of his hand, Phibrizzo separated Pokota from the group, pushing the small animal against a wall of crystal. Pokota struggled to move against the monster's force, but he couldn't.

"Ah, my friend, you were my little experiment- my little guinea pig. Quite fitting that you look the part as well, don't you think?" Phibrizzo asked, cornering the animal.

"G-guinea pig?" Pokota gasped, having a hard time breathing, much less moving. "How on earth was I... the monster! The parasite that took over my body! That was _your_ doing!"

Phibrizzo laughed with a voice that sent a wave of terror over the immobile people in the cave. "Oh yes, of course that was my doing. It was my minion, after all."

"Then those monsters that attacked Taforashia... that hurt so many people... _you_ did that? You murderer!" Pokota spat.

"Oh, I didn't do that to hurt people. That was just an... unfortunate repercussion. No, what I sent my minions to Taforashia for was research." Phibrizzo clarified.

"R-research? What sort of research?" Lina demanded.

"Well, if you remember correctly, Miss Lina, Taforashia was the last place that the Giga Slave was ever performed. I had to go see for myself just what kind of effects it caused." Phibrizzo explained.

"So the people of Taforashia were attacked because of your goal to destroy the world using the Giga Slave?" Zelgadis accused.

"Yeah, I suppose they were." Phibrizzo shrugged, as if it were something that happened on a regular basis.

"How could you?" Amelia demanded.

"Easily." Phibrizzo replied, snapping his fingers. "Like this." The crystal on the wall behind Pokota quickly grew around him, trapping the stuffed animal against the wall. The dark-haired boy held out his palm, and five round, gold object appeared on it. "Tell me, Pokota, do you know what these are? If you don't, then surely your friends do."

"Th-that's..." Pokota murmured. Truthfully, he couldn't figure out what they were. He had never seen anything like them before.

"Pokota!" Lina yelled. "Be careful! Those are orbs that represent a person's life force! If Phibrizzo breaks one, then..." Pokota looked wide-eyed at the monster before him- who apparently had control over death itself.

"I couldn't have put it better myself, Miss Lina." Phibrizzo said, congratulatingly. He turned his gaze back to the stuffed animal. "So..." He began, "I have a question for you. Tell me, do you still want to die?"

"Wh-what?" Pokota stammered. "I... I don't..."

"Your little friends got rid of the monster that was attacking your mind, but that still does not erase the fact that you tried and failed to protect your beloved people of Taforashia. It hurts to think about it, doesn't it?"

Pokota looked down, not wanting to meet the monster's sharp, amber gaze. Phibrizzo took a small, blue crystal in his open hand. The group watched in astonishment as it grew into a powerful crystalline sword. Phibrizzo directed the sword at Pokota with one hand, while in the other he moved one of the orbs from his palm in between his thumb and forefinger threateningly.

"So... Pokota..." He began. "Here's your decision. As a monster, it's no fun killing someone who already _wants _to die. If that's the case and you really have given up the will to live, then I'll make your death swift and... _nearly_ painless." Phibrizzo glanced at the gold orb between his fingers. "But... if you want to fight for your life, I'd certainly enjoy watching you suffer slowly and painfully." The dark-haired boy's malicious smile terrified Pokota, and the stuffed animal's mind raced, trying to think of a way out.

He could find none.

"I'll respect your honest decision." Phibrizzo said, almost encouragingly.

Pokota sighed. "I... I can't! I can't give up my life so easily! I won't! You can threaten me however you like, but I have a will to live and a responsibility to perform for my people! No matter what you say, I'm a human and as a human I won't surrender my life!"

"Mister Pokota..." Amelia gasped. The statement would certainly have been welcome yesterday, but now...

"I see..." Phibrizzo nodded. "He pocketed the small orbs and clasped the sword in a threatening position. Pokota shut his eyes as the sword was swung directly at him. He braced himself for the impact, but was surprised to hear a loud _KLINK! _as the sword struck against the crystal wall beside him. Pokota's eyes shot open in surprise.

"You know what? You're a funny little guinea pig!" Phibrizzo laughed. "I think I'll play with you some more!"

Pokota didn't have time to contemplate whether getting killed would be a better alternative to getting 'played with,' as he was suddenly freed from the trapped position that he was in. He flew over to his group of friends and was caught in Lina's arms. Gourry had let go of her, and approached Phibrizzo, his Sword of Light blazing threateningly.

"That crystal sword may be powerful, but it's no match for the Sword of Light!" The swordsman declared proudly.

"Care to wager on that?" Phibrizzo asked half-teasingly, half-seriously. "Oh! Wait! I can't kill you yet! I have to save you for last- besides Lina Inverse, that is." He glared at Lina.

"You are unjust!" Amelia yelled, pointing at the monster. "To prey on a person's affections is interfering with the Justice of True Love! Unforgivable!"

"Amelia!" Zelgadis hissed, pulling her back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm being a warrior of Justice!" Amelia defended. "I will not allow you to make a mockery of love!"

Phibrizzo laughed. "Love, huh? How interesting. Love is a rather complex emotion. it can be just, as you described it, but it can also be very... _unjust_, to use your terminology."

"Unjust? Impossible!" Amelia gasped.

"Oh really?" Phibrizzo grinned. "The how about I use you as an example? Would you like to be the first to die?"

Stretching his arm out and aiming the sword at her, he sent a strong attack at Amelia, knocking her to the other side of the room.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis yelled, seeing the screaming girl pushed against the wall in pain. Another snap of Phibrizzo's fingers sent a barrage of sharp crystals falling from the ceiling, falling around the princess, engulfing the place she had stood. It was horrifying for the chimera to hear her desperate screams, but that was nothing compared to the agonising silence that followed.

The dust settled, and everything grew deathly quiet.

Phibrizzo pulled one of the golden orbs out of his pocked, tossed it up in the air for a moment and caught it as it fell, crushing it in his hand with a slight _krack! _He separated his fingers slightly, letting the broken shards fall through them like sand through an hourglass, grinning with pleasure at the horrified expressions of the people watching him. "Well... that didn't take long at all. So much for Justice." He commented, sounding contented.

The dark-haired boy turned back around to the group of people that were staring at him, their faces pale.

"Y-you... you..." Zelgadis choked on his words, unable to fully comprehend the situation.

"You?' That's all you're going to say to me is 'you?" Phibrizzo laughed. "Heh, it's really kind of funny. I mean, you got soooo~ upset with yourself after she simply bumped her head trying to kiss you! And here I am _killing_ her, and you don't even have anything to say to me."

Zelgadis clenched his teeth. "You mean..." He began, remembering a conversation with Amelia in the library the previous day, "...that you were_ watching_ us?"

"Oh, come on!" Phibrizzo exclaimed. "I already knew that none of those jewels was a vessel! I didn't have anything _better_ to do! Any besides, no books written by a human could really be of much use to a mazoku lord like myself. You two were so much more interesting than those books- if slightly nauseating for a time. But boy, did you ever get upset!"

"Y-you..." Zelgadis didn't finish the sentence.

"You, my friend, sound like a broken record." Phibrizzo teased, walking up to Zelgadis and levitating to match the chimera's eye level. The boy whispered to him playfully, "You and your little fiancé were pretty cute together. It's too bad that she won't make it to the wedding. Hey, maybe you won't either! Then there'll be no hard feelings, right?"

"I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU!" Zelgadis pulled his sword and struck at the monster, trying his best to hit him. Phibrizzo teleported away, still grinning.

"Whoa, that's some hatred you've got going on there." His grin turned into a smirk. "Didn't I tell you? Love is a two-way street. It can cause some of the most sweet, wonderful feelings you've ever felt. But it can also tear a person's heart in half. You see, one of the most powerful negative emotions is grief. And what causes grief? Well, love, of course!"

Zelgadis stepped forward, clutching his sword furiously. "I will... I will destroy you if it's the last thing I do!"

"Oh! If it's the last thing you do?" Phibrizzo laughed some more. "I have a feeling that if you do try to defeat me, it _will_ be the last thing you do!"

"Zel! Stop it! Phibrizzo's too powerful! You can't go against him so recklessly! You're going to get killed!" Lina pleaded.

Zelgadis shot a poisonous glare at Lina. "Who said that I had any reason to live anymore? I'm better off dying attempting to kill Phibrizzo than living and knowing what he... what he did..."

"Zel!" Lina gasped.

Phibrizzo's laughter continued. "Hey, you know who I really feel bad for in this situation? The guinea pig! It looks like his little speech on the will to live fell to deaf ears. So now you're the one who wants to die? Maybe I should go ahead and kill you quickly, then." He pulled out another gold orb and held it between his fingers. "So... how does it feel to think that I've got your life right here between my fingers? Comforting? Maybe. Do you really want to die right now?"

"NO!" Zelgadis yelled, striking forward with his sword. "I refuse to die until I kill you!"

"Tsk. Tsk. You have brought about your own suffering, then. I guess I'll have to kill you the hard way. I did it with that girl for dramatic effect, and it seems to have worked well. Let's see what kind of pain I can inflict on you..."

"You... you monster!" Zelgadis yelled, throwing himself and his sword toward the boy. Phibrizzo held up his own sword and blocked Zelgadis' attacks easily. The chimera continued to strike at his opponent, but Phibrizzo was on his own territory and could easily phase in and out of separate dimensions to avoid getting hit.

Zelgadis was slowly getting exhausted, while Phibrizzo didn't even break a sweat. "Lalala~ Oh, I'm sorry! Are you even _trying _to attack me? I didn't even notice!" the monster laughed at the chimera's effort. He was trying so hard, and yet failing...

Finally, Zelgadis was faster than Phibrizzo was, or perhaps Phibrizzo got bored of always dodging. Whatever the case, Zelgadis' sword met with Phibrizzo's with a satisfying _KILNK!_ Zelgadis quickly realised that he had scored a hit, however he had to act fast in order to avoid losing his target again. He shoved the sword forward with as much brute force as he could muster, but it wasn't enough. Phibrizzo shoved back harder, knocking the chimera backwards forcefully.

"Oh, you silly freak. Did you seriously expect to challenge a Dark Lord with physical attacks and think you'd get anywhere? Haha~"

Zelgadis' grip tightened on his sword at the word 'freak.' Not just the anger that Phibrizzo had called him such, but also at the pain that there wasn't someone there to yell out that he wasn't a freak and calling him that would be... unjust...

"Of course..." Zelgadis murmured. "I'm being stupid and not thinking things through. _ASTRAL VINE!" _The attack shot up around the sword, encasing it in the glowing red light that showed its magical amplification.

"Ooh, you've got a fascinating trick up your sleeve." Phibrizzo commented. "How interesting. Let's see how good it is!"

Zelgadis struck out with his magically amplified sword, only to find the same results as before. Phibrizzo could phase in and out of this dimension in order to dodge all of the chimera's attacks. It was wearisome- even with Zelgadis' increased stamina, he was quickly getting worn out while Phibrizzo didn't even get a scratch on him. He struck again, crying out in frustration.

"Funny, I'd have thought that a magically amplified sword would be more of a challenge. But it's still just a sword. I can manage on my own." Phibrizzo sighed. "Actually, I was hoping to have a little fun. Oh well..."

"I _will _get you..." Zelgadis panted, trying to figure out where Phibrizzo was going to appear next.

"Zel! I wish you'd stop this!" Lina yelled. "There must be some way to fight him, but this is not it!"

"B-but..." Zelgadis protested, not wanting to admit that Lina was right. They were going to get nowhere just throwing attacks that could so easily be dodged. But what else were they supposed to do? Phibrizzo was just so powerful...

"This is fun." Phibrizzo commented, seeing the group looking at him in fear. "Now let's see how much more fun I can have with you before-" He stopped and suddenly looked alert. Lina and her friends gasped. What was he looking at?

Suddenly, Phibrizzo jumped aside, just in time to miss a large weapon that crashed into the crystal wall in the place he had just been standing. Phibrizzo turned around to inspect it. He picked up the large weapon, examining it. "A mace..." He observed. "And where there's a mace, there must also be... a golden dragon, perhaps? Where's the person that threw this?"

"Phibrizzo, in the name of all that is good in this world, I am here to stop you!" Filia called from across the room.

"Oh boy! Another toy to play with!" Phibrizzo laughed. "Good! Now this is becoming even more fun! I can't wait to see who's going to show up next!"

* * *

(A/N: After the first time that Phibrizzo called Pokota a guinea pig, I just couldn't help turning it into a nickname. Pokota doesn't like it very much, though. Heheh... And Filia's back~!:3)


	20. 20: A violent conclusion! really?

Hooray! Filia's come to join the action! Things are going to get even more interesting- I hope! Once again, I do not own Slayers, I just spend a bunch of time writing random fanfictions and whatnot... Enjoy! :3

* * *

**20- A violent conclusion!... really?**

"Filia!" Lina gasped. The Golden Dragon stood defiantly, directing an angry stare at Phibrizzo.

"What brings you here, Miss Filia?" Phibrizzo asked, putting on a polite facade.

"You know why I'm here, Hellmaster Phibrizzo." Filia spat.

"That wasn't the question." Phibrizzo replied. "I want to know _how_ you got here. This place is pretty well hidden. I wouldn't expect a dragon to be able to find it."

"Oh, of course Filia dear wouldn't be able to find the cave. She needed a little help from a monster." A familiar voice replied, appearing behind Phibrizzo.

"Xellos!" Phibrizzo gasped. His look of shock quickly turned to amusement. "How in the world did you recover from my attack so quickly?"

"Well, that's a secret." Xellos said teasingly. "Let's just say that, me showing up torn in pieces and half-killed does_ not_ go over well with certain dragons."

Filia blushed and turned toward Phibrizzo. "I can't believe you would do something like that! Attacking a fellow monster? Unthinkable!"

Phibrizzo laughed. "Well, I must say, I don't really consider him a monster that much. After all, what self-respecting monster would fall in love with a _dragon_?"

"L-love?" Filia coughed.

"Well... I wouldn't put it that way..." Xellos said cracking an eye at the powerful monster.

"I would." Phibrizzo grinned. "You two are no different from the way Lina and her swordsman friend are, or the way the chimera and his princess a- _were_."

"_Were?_" Filia gasped tossing a glance to the large pile of crystals where Amelia had been buried. "B-but..."

"Now, now, there's no need for this pointless talking." Phibrizzo said. "Let's see how I can hurt you." He used his sword to shoot a powerful attack at Filia. She screamed as she was suddenly tangled in a maze of crystals.

"Filia!" Xellos gasped. Phibrizzo approached the dragon, about to attack her with his sword, but Xellos quickly grabbed the boy's arms, restraining him. Phibrizzo fought against the trickster priest's firm grip, and though smaller, was more powerful. He managed to wrench himself from Xellos' grasp and turn his sword on the monster. Shooting attacks, he began somewhat of a game with Xellos, Phibrizzo shooting the attacks and his opponent dodging them. Xellos dodged quite well for a time, but he couldn't escape Phibrizzo's attacks forever. The boy finally managed to pin the monster against a wall, holding his sword against him threateningly.

"You really _do_ have feelings for that dragon. How very un-monsterish of you." Phibrizzo derided.

"That's really not the case, I assure you-" Xellos began, but Phibrizzo cut him off, producing a small, gold orb from his pocket.

"Oh really? Well then, Xellos, I want to see what you decide. I think you understand what this object does- and what it can do. After all, you did kill much of the dragon race during the War of the Monster's Fall, didn't you? How about you finish the job? It doesn't take much for this tiny orb to break, and when it does, you'll have finally destroyed the last of the golden dragons. Think- what an accomplishment! You will do it, right Xellos? I mean, you say that you don't love her. So kill her. Finish her off once and for all." He pressed the orb into Xellos' hand. Xellos had no way to refuse it, and stared at it pensively.

"This..." He began.

"Come on, Xellos. What are you waiting for? Finish what you started so very long ago. Destroy her right now." Phibrizzo pressed.

Filia gasped in astonishment at the scene. Was Xellos really literally holding her life in his hand? He couldn't possibly choose to kill her, could he? After all they had been through? Filia suddenly caught herself. Xellos was the one that was always trying to get her to act civil to him, trying to make her be nice to him, and she had always been the spiteful one, insisting that her companionship with him was conditional and temporary. He could now easily get back at her for all the times that she had attacked him, but... She realised that her fear of death was not the only fear she had of him killing her. If he chose to kill her, then it meant that he...

"You know what?" Xellos said softly after a moment of contemplation. "I think... I think I _will_." Opening his eyes, he took the orb and thrust it violently at the ground. It shattered into hundreds of tiny, gold shards, sparkling in the light.

Lina and her friends gasped, and Amelia called out "Miss Filia!" Filia braced herself for pain and possible death, but...

Nothing happened.

"My friend, if you're going to pull a bluff like that, it is a good idea to make sure that your opponent doesn't see through it. After all, you knew I wouldn't have done that if the orb was real, and you figured that I'd be too stupid to see the difference." Xellos chided. Filia caught her breath. Xellos wouldn't have killed her after all!

There was a flicker of annoyance behind Phibrizzo's smile. "I see. You're more perceptive than I thought." He pulled the rest of the fake orbs out of his pocket and tossed them onto the ground, causing them all to shatter. "Now I've got to find another way to intimidate you. You're certainly proving to be quite challenging opponents. What should I do to you...?"

Filia grabbed Xellos and whispered something to him, a serious expression on her face. Xellos looked surprised for a moment, but then nodded. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"What are you two lovebirds whispering about?" Phibrizzo asked, walking up to the two of them.

"That is a secret, of course." Xellos replied, smiling. He suddenly disappeared.

Lina gasped. "Wh-where did Xellos go...?"

"Xellos?" Phibrizzo looked around angrily. "Oh well... no matter..."He lifted his sword and pointed it at the group, sending a large, dark attack at the remaining people. A strong magical energy suddenly bound them all. As much as they tried to break free, it was too strong. Phibrizzo walked around them, examining each of them carefully. "Let's see... who shall I start with...? Should it be..." He stopped in front of Pokota. "...the guinea pig?"

Pokota looked wide-eyed at the monster, unable to move or fend for his life. Phibrizzo raised the sword and struck hard, just barely missing Pokota. Again and again he struck the crystal wall, each time missing Pokota by an infinitesimal amount. He stepped back for a moment and laughed. "You're really scared, aren't you? You never know when I'm going to actually strike _you_ and not the wall behind you. Terrifying, isn't it? To know that your death is imminent but unable to figure out just _when_ you're going to die?"

"This..." Lina stammered. "This isn't attacking! It's torture!"

"True." Phibrizzo laughed. "I _do_ like to play with my victims before I kill them."

"Haven't you played with us enough over the past two weeks?" Zelgadis spat.

"Perhaps." Phibrizzo said, a smile spreading across his face. "And what about you? Maybe I'll play with the chimera rather than the guinea pig. What can I do to you?"

"It doesn't matter what you do to me." Zelgadis scowled. "Do what you like."

"Oh! That's right! I forgot that you already want to die! Well, that's no fun... Who else is there?" Phibrizzo looked around some more, his eyes passing over Lina and Gourry, and turning to Filia. "The dragon..." He murmured. "Perfect. I'll take you out while your lover has disappeared. Is that a good idea? Not that your opinion matters!"

"I... I..." Filia stammered. "B-but..." _Oh Xellos, where are you? _She thought desperately. _What's taking so long?_

"Now, prepare to meet your end, golden dragon." Phibrizzo raised his sword and fired a dark attack at Filia, the dark haze engulfing the area.

"Filia!" Lina yelled. The haze was still thick, but it was becoming easier and easier to see through it. Suddenly, a similar attack blasted from within the miasma and struck Phibrizzo unexpectedly. He was pushed back, though his sword took most of the damage from the hit. "Tsk, tsk, Phibrizzo. Beating up on my dragon like that when I'm not around. You need to learn better manners." Xellos chided.

"Xellos. You continue to be an annoyance. I guess I'll have to make sure that I kill you before you can disappear on me again, won't I?" Phibrizzo said. He was having a harder time masking his irritation behind that infamous smile.

"Oh, most certainly. That is, if I were going to let you kill me, which I most certainly am not." Xellos replied. He shot another attack at Phibrizzo, who dodged it. But he was no longer focused on the members of the group, and the magical energy that held them bound dissipated.

"Xellos!" Lina hissed. "Talk about in the nick of time!"

"What were you thinking, disappearing like that?" Zelgadis demanded.

"You, my friend, are the last person I want to hear that from." Xellos reprimanded. "I mean, did you really want me to leave an innocent little princess trapped under a pile of crystals to suffocate? Filia had to make sure that I rescued her, so it's Filia's own fault if she got attacked while I was gone."

"Wh-what?" Zel gasped. "Amelia?"

"Zelgadis! It's... alright! I'm... okay!" Amelia called, attempting to wave at him from where she stood beside Filia. Filia was still trying to cast healing spells on the girl, but Amelia wouldn't stay still and Filia finally decided that Amelia's injuries had been sufficiently.

"Amelia! Y-you..." Zelgadis was quick to join the two of them, grabbing Amelia in relief. "Are you... alright?"

"I told you, I'm okay!" Amelia assured him.

_Famous last words... _Thought Zelgadis, unwilling to let go of her just yet.

"Well, well. If it isn't the princess of Justice. I thought that it would be sufficient to simply bury you and allow you to suffocate, but it seems that some annoying friends of yours messed up my plan. But you're still quite weak." Phibrizzo laughed.

"Hellmaster Phibrizzo!" Amelia exclaimed, pointing at him. Zelgadis had to work hard to keep the girl from pouncing on the monster. "Not only do you take advantage of people's weaknesses, but you also act cruelly and unjustly toward them as well! You are worse than a villain and deserve severe punishment! In the name of Justice, I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, will bring painful retribution down upon you!"

"Oh, how cute. Your little threats are quite intimidating... _not_!" Phibrizzo laughed hysterically, continuing to threaten them.

"Miss Lina!" Xellos called, appearing next to her. "You have to help fight Phibrizzo! Maybe you can do something- he obviously doesn't want to kill you!"

"Right! That does make sense!" Lina nodded. "I'll do everything I can! There's got to be another way to defeat him besides the Giga Slave!"

"I'm right behind you, Lina!" Gourry added, grabbing his sword.

"B-but Gourry, we know that he does want to kill you! If you get hurt, or..." Lina protested.

"I'm fine. He did say that he wanted to wait to kill me until he had taken out everyone else, right?" Gourry assured her. "Besides, I have to protect you. It's my job."

"You're really dedicated to your job, Gourry." Lina observed.

"Well, that's just because I love it-_ you_." Gourry replied, correcting the last word. "Just trust me, okay? I won't let you get hurt, no matter what."

Lina's eyes sparkled and she suddenly felt more confident about fighting Phibrizzo. Whatever happened, Gourry was by her side.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt you two..." Xellos lied, "but we have more pressing concerns than your love life right now."

Lina shot a glare at Xellos. "What, like _your_ love life? Filia's still getting targeted over there with Zel and Amelia.

"I know, I know. We just need to distract Phibrizzo." Xellos replied.

"For how long?" Pokota spoke up. "We can't just keep dodging attacks and hoping that he gets worn out. He's too strong for that."

Lina nodded. "Guinea pig is right. We can't just keep doing what we're doing- it's obviously not worki-"

"DON'T YOU DARE START CALLING ME THAT!" Pokota growled, pulling Lina's hair violently.

"Ow, ow! Okay, sorry! Gee... kinda touchy about that, aren't you?" Lina replied, straightening her hair again.

"Uh, can we please focus on fighting Phibrizzo, not each other?" Xellos reminded them.

"Right, right, Phibrizzo..." Lina said. "Let's try attacking him. I'm sure that I'll think of something."

"You'd better." Xellos replied. "We're running out of time."

Phibrizzo had turned his attention on the chimera, and was attempting to best him at swordfighting again- only this time he was actually allowing Zelgadis to get close enough for the monster to score some blows against him instead of simply dodging.

"Hey! You quit picking on Zel!" Lina yelled. "I'll be the one to fight you now!"

"Oh really? You want to? Sounds like fun!" Phibrizzo replied. He lunged toward Lina with his sword positioned to strike her, but Xellos got in the way, blocking Phibrizzo's attack with his staff.

"Not so fast." Xellos teased. "My mission is to protect the vessel and keep it out of your hands. I'm afraid this means that I can't allow anything to happen to Miss Lina."

"Hey~!" Gourry whined. "That's _my _job!"

"Well then, by all means, start fighting!" Phibrizzo laughed. He lunged at Xellos with his crystal sword still intact. Xellos attempted to shoot attacks back at his opponent, but Phibrizzo continued to disappear and reappear, preventing him from taking even one hit. Lina watched Phibrizzo carefully as he made a mockery of Xellos' attacks.

"Xellos!" Lina called. "Why are you letting him dodge? Can't you follow him on the astral plane?"

"I can't!" Xellos shot back. "He's not using the astral plane to teleport, he's using dimensions of his own creation!"

"Dimensions of his own creation...?" Lina asked, an idea beginning to form in her mind.

"Yes. They're sealed to the outside so that no one except Phibrizzo can get in them." Xellos added.

"Sealed?" That was the word that Lina was looking for. "Xellos, would it be possible to seal one of those dimensions from the outside, so instead of us not being able to get in, Phibrizzo wouldn't be able to get out?"

Xellos' eyes lit up in inspiration. "I hadn't thought of that." He commented. "It would take a powerful spell, but... it just might work!"

"A powerful spell, huh? What kind of spell are you talking about?" Lina asked hesitantly. The Giga Slave was not an option for her- she'd refuse if it involved casting such a spell.

"Any spell really. Just one that could provide enough magic to seal off the dimension." Xellos replied. "I think the Dragon Slave would do nicely, though you'd probably be safer amplifying it, just in case."

"Cool." Lina grinned. She was always happy to use the Dragon Slave- it was probably her favourite spell. She'd use it over the Giga Slave any day.

Phibrizzo shot an attack at the two of them, causing them to jump aside. "Lina!" Xellos whispered. "I'll distract Phibrizzo while you get the spell ready. When I give the signal, you shoot it in the spot where he just was, alright? Once the magic is present, all I have to do is manipulate it slightly and we'll have sealed off the dimension."

"Perfect." Lina nodded. She stood back, taking her talismans and preparing the incantation. "_Lord of Darkness of the four worlds, on thy bonds I do swear, grant me all the power that you possess..."_

"Lina, what are you doing?" Gourry shouted. She couldn't be casting the Giga Slave... could she...?

"_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."_

Gourry relaxed a bit when he heard the familiar incantation of the Dragon Slave. But he was still wondering what she was doing.

"Miss Lina, Xellos is still fighting Phibrizzo! If you fire the Dragon Slave now, then you might hit Xellos!" Filia called.

"_...buried in the stream of time is where your power grows. _

_I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand_

_before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand._"

Xellos continued firing attacks at Phibrizzo, who continued phasing in and out, dodging all of them. "You're not getting anywhere, Xellos. Why don't you just give up?" He laughed.

"Not likely." Xellos grinned. _Just a bit longer... _he thought.

"_Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess..." _Lina paused, waiting for Xellos' signal. Xellos lunged at Phibrizzo, causing him to disappear into his own dimension again. But this time, when he tried to reappear, something held him back.

"LINA! NOW!" Xellos commanded.

"_DRAGON SLAVE!_" Lina yelled, firing the amplified attack just the way Xellos had instructed. He moved aside in order not to be hit with the attack, and added his own power to it until it was a massive ball of energy that sealed itself over an invisible flat surface. Suddenly, the power dissipated, and everything stopped. Xellos floated warily, watching the place where the dimension had been sealed off.

"Wh-what happened?" Amelia gasped.

"It looks like... they trapped Phibrizzo in his own dimension." Zelgadis replied.

"Does that mean...?" Gourry began.

"...we won." Lina breathed. "We won. You guys, we won!"

"I don't know why I didn't think of trapping Phibrizzo in his own dimension. That was a good idea, Miss Lina." Xellos congratulated.

"Gee, thanks Xellos. It's strange hearing a comment like that coming from you." Lina said, smiling.

"But wait a minute! Doesn't Mister Xellos want Miss Lina too? Since she is the vessel and everything..." Amelia pointed out. The entire group turned and stared at Xellos.

"Back off!" Gourry defended, grabbing Lina so tightly that she nearly choked.

"Now, now, you don't have to get so worked up. My objective has changed." Xellos replied.

"Your... objective?" Filia asked. Gourry loosened his grip on Lina, much to the sorceress' relief.

"Of course. You see, Miss Lina creates more chaos singlehandedly than much of the human race combined."

"If that supposed to be a compliment?" Lina asked.

"Oh, yes. It basically means that we can't let you get killed- at least for the moment. You could prove to be invaluable for the monster race in the future." Xellos nodded.

Lina sighed. "Should have figured. But whatever. Does that mean that I'll have the monsters' protection from now on?"

"No, only the monsters serving under Lord Beastmaster, I'm afraid. It was her decision." Xellos said.

"Oh well, that's better than nothing." Lina shrugged. "And I guess this means that you and Filia won't have to fight over me now."

"That's true." Filia nodded, smiling. She dreaded the thought of becoming Xellos' enemy after what had happened.

"And it seems that everything has ended well." Pokota said, flying over and perching on Lina's head.

"You've still got to go back to Taforashia and explain to them what happened, and that you're still alive." Zelgadis said.

"Yeah, I know. But compared to nearly getting killed by Phibrizzo right now... that's really not a problem. I hope they won't be too upset to see me back." Pokota replied.

"Upset? They love you, Mister Pokota!" Amelia encouraged. "I'm sure that everything will turn out alright! Justice always prevails in the end, right?"

"Right." Pokota nodded. "Thanks, Amelia. And... everybody. If it wasn't for you guys, I'd still have a monster attacking my brain, or I might even be dead."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Lina asked, grinning. "I know that if any one of us was in that situation, you would have done the same thing for us."

"So what do we do now? Go back to Seyruun?" Zelgadis asked.

"Sounds good." Lina nodded. "Gourry and I should probably head back to Sairaag. After all, we've got someone waiting for us there."

"Right!" Gourry agreed.

"And I need to go home as well." Filia said. "I did leave Val's egg in Jillas and Gravos' hands, but I'm still worried about him. At least I can go home without worrying about the fate of the world."

"Um..." Xellos began, but he was ignored.

"You all have to stay in touch, alright?" Amelia said. "I want to be able to write to you."

"Sure thing." Filia nodded. "I'll give you my address."

"Uh... guys...?" Xellos continued.

"We'll remember to write to you this time so that you know where we are." Lina said. "Isn't that right, Gourry?"

"Right!" Gourry exclaimed.

"Thank you so much!" Amelia said happily. "And you too, Mister Xellos. Since you are a comrade of- Mister Xellos? What's wrong?"

Xellos was looking at the place where Lina had fired the Dragon Slave. The rest of the group followed his gaze. Suddenly, there was a huge spark, like a flash of lightning from the spot, then it went back to normal. This happened several more times before someone spoke up.

"Wh-what's happening?" Filia gasped. "Is Phibrizzo trying to escape?"

"No." Xellos shook his head. "He's trying to use his dimension in place of the Giga Slave."

"What?" Lina gasped. "What do you mean?"

"I just remembered why I didn't think of trapping Phibrizzo in one of the dimensions." Xellos said. "Those dimensions are neutral territory, meaning that destruction and creation are balanced. If they become out of balance, then the dimension itself works to fix it. But Phibrizzo brought so much raw destruction with him into the dimension, that prolonged time inside it would cause the dimension to become horribly unstable... and eventually it would either collapse on itself, creating an enormous black hole... or be destroyed in an explosion so severe that it could rival the Giga Slave in terms of destruction." Xellos said.

"XELLOS!" Lina grabbed the monster in a violent headlock. "YOU NEGLECTED TO MENTION THIS?"

"What do we do?" Amelia gasped.

"We'd have to..." Xellos choked. "...go into the dimension itself and destroy Phibrizzo there. If we can do that, then the dimension will no longer be unstable."

Lina sighed. "Great. Just when we thought that we'd finally won..." She turned to her friends. "Zel, you and Amelia go back to Seyruun and let them know what's going on. If this thing gets out of hand, it'll be your job to handle it."

"Got it!" Amelia replied, and Zelgadis just nodded.

"Xellos, Filia, Pokota, Gourry, and I will go into that dimension and try to stop Phibrizzo." Lina continued.

"But what can we do? If we couldn't defeat Phibrizzo out here, what makes you think we could defeat him in there?" Pokota asked.

"We'll try our best." Lina said. "We have to. And if worst comes to worst... I do have the Giga Slave..."

"Lina! You can't use that! It could destroy the world!" Gourry gasped.

"Well, is the only other alternative is the certain destruction of the world, then..." Lina murmured. "Zel! Amelia! Get moving! We don't have all night!"

"Right, Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Good luck." Zelgadis nodded.

* * *

(A/N: Rule from Phibrizzo: Always, always, always have a Plan B. It makes life so much harder for the protagonists. Yeah, it's never that simple... :3)


	21. 21: Final Battle! A not so fond farewell

(Hey! Chapter 21, we're getting really close to the end! :3 I still do not own Slayers.

Beware of sad scenes later on in the chapter- you were warned!)

* * *

**21- Final Battle! A not-so-fond farewell!**

"So this is Phibrizzo's dimension, huh? It's kinda... empty..." Gourry observed.

"Yeah, kinda like your head." Lina commented.

"Yeah, kinda... HEY!" Gourry turned to Lina and she laughed.

"You two, this is no time to be making jokes." Filia scolded. The group had made their way into the dimension that they had sealed Phibrizzo in. It was an easy task- much easier than it would be making their way out.

"Sorry, Filia. But where do we go?" Lina asked. "It's as if it continues infinitely in every direction, but there's nothing here."

"It's mirrored." Xellos said.

"Mirrored? What does that mean?" Pokota asked.

"It means that this area ends somewhere, but we can't see where because it's like a mirror. Do you understand?" Xellos replied.

"Yeah, I guess so." Pokota replied.

"I don't understand." Gourry said. "Can you explain it again?"

"Just forget about it." Xellos sighed. "Now let's see where we're supposed to go- huh?"

"What's that?" Pokota asked. The group looked around. They were suddenly surrounded by an enormous horde of monsters.

"Wh-where did all these random monsters come from?" Lina gasped.

"I have no idea!" Filia replied.

"Phibrizzo must have summoned them to get rid of us!" Xellos said. "And in that case, we have to defeat them."

"But there are hundreds of them!" Pokota yelled.

"Then let's get started!" Lina exclaimed. "_Damu Bras_!" Several monster were blown away by Lina's attack, and she grinned in satisfaction. However, twice as many appeared to take their place. "Oh, come on! That's no fair!"

"_Elmikia Lance_!" Pokota exclaimed, shooting a powerful attack at the monsters. He met the same results that Lina had, destroying several monsters only to have them replaced by even more.

"There's so many of them!" Filia gasped.

"They're very weak though." Xellos observed. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

"You think maybe Phibrizzo's using them as a distraction rather than actually trying to hurt us?" Gourry asked. The entire group paused to stare at him incredulously. "What?" He looked at them with a puzzled expression.

"You're having one of your smart days today, aren't you?" Lina asked.

"Gourry has smart days?" Pokota questioned.

"Forget about that! I think he's right!" Xellos said. "Monsters this weak wouldn't be effective for actually hurting us, just for buying time. We can't let Phibrizzo have the amount of time that it would take to defeat them all- by that point it would be too late."

"But what can we do about them?" Filia asked.

"We'll fight them- I mean you, me, and Pokota." Xellos replied. "Lina, you and Gourry go find Phibrizzo and destroy him. We'll hold off these monsters to the best of our ability!"

"You got it! Good luck!" Lina exclaimed.

"Right!" Gourry nodded. "Thanks!"

Lina and Gourry ran off, trying to figure out where Phibrizzo went. "What did you thank them for?" Lina asked.

"For letting me come with you." Gourry replied.

"Why?"

"Because I have to protect you. It's my job, and if they had tried to separate us, I would have protested. But they were nice enough to let us stay together."

Lina shook her head. "Oh Gourry... only you would think about _me_ at a time like this."

"You're all I ever think about." Gourry responded, and Lina didn't know whether blush and stammer a 'thank you,' or to whack him over the head for being overly sentimental at a crucial time.

"We've got to find Phibrizzo!" Lina exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, how do we do that exactly?" Gourry asked.

"Simple. We have to figure out where it is that this portion of the dimension mirrors. If we can locate the plane of reflection, that will show us where the barrier between this part of the dimension and the next is." Lina explained.

"Uh... what was that about plains?" Gourry questioned, a clueless look on his face.

"Just forget about it..." Lina sighed. "And here I thought you were being intelligent today..."

"Sorry." Gourry apologised. "I want to understand it, I really do... but it's just-"

"Gourry! Look!" Lina said, silencing him and pointing forward.

"Uh, what am I supposed to be looking at?" Gourry asked.

"Those columns! They are kind of random, but if you draw a mental line right there, they are reflected perfectly over it!" Lina said.

"And that means..." Gourry asked hopefully.

Lina gave him a whack on the head. "It means that line is the entrance to the place where Phibrizzo is hiding!"

"Oh! I knew that!" Gourry exclaimed.

"You did not..." Lina sighed. "But whatever! Let's just get going!" The two ran as fast as they could toward the plane of reflection where Phibrizzo had set up a barrier. Sure enough, when Lina tried to pass her hand through it, it disappeared into another portion of the dimension.

"Whoa! That's kind of scary!" Gourry exclaimed.

"Who cares? Let's go beat Phibrizzo and get out of here!" Lina replied, throwing herself onto the other side of the barrier. Gourry quickly followed.

* * *

"This place... looks like some sort of..." Gourry began, trying to figure out what the dimension resembled.

"Some sort of temple." Lina finished. She observed the varied columns and statues that were arranged in the space. Like the one before, it was mirrored, so it appeared endless.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't Lina Inverse and her little swordsman friend?" A voice called from behind them. The turned around quickly to see Phibrizzo sitting on top of one of the tall columns.

"Say, isn't that dangerous?" Gourry asked. "What if you fall?"

Phibrizzo burst out laughing while Lina gave Gourry a few good whacks over the head.

"First of all, he's Hellmaster Phibrizzo, so he can obviously levitate! Second of all, this is his dimension, so he can do whatever he wants!" She fumed.

"You're right, I can do whatever I want in here." Phibrizzo nodded. "In here, my attacks are at their most powerful. There's no way you can escape."

"We don't need to escape! We just need to beat you!" Lina growled.

"Oh, and you really think that you can do that?" Phibrizzo laughed some more. "Let's have some fun, shall we? Or... you could use the Giga Slave in a last-ditch effort to save yourselves. I mean, it didn't go berserk in Taforashia, so maybe it'll work in here as well. Just maybe..."

"Not a chance!" Lina exclaimed. "I'm here to defeat you _without _using the Giga Slave!"

"Is that even possible? I doubt it." Phibrizzo replied. "But I suppose that, if you're feeling especially defiant, I could go with Plan B."

"Plan B? There's a Plan B?" Gourry asked.

"There's always a Plan B." Phibrizzo responded, grinning. "Anyone who plans something has to have a backup plan to fall back on in case their original is ruined. In this case, I've figured out something else. It's kind of roundabout, but it'll work. Since I'm the controller of the dead, all I have to do is kill you. Then you'll become my puppet and I can make you do anything I want. Sound good?"

"What?" Lina gasped.

"So, now that you know you're not safe anymore, I'll proceed to kill you, Lina Inverse. Gourry, I'd recommend that you stand aside, if you fear for your life." Phibrizzo said, standing up on the column.

"Never! You know I'll protect Lina no matter what!" Gourry exclaimed.

"Oh, pity. I thought you would be good and back down. No matter. I'll just work around the obstacles." Phibrizzo sighed.

"Hey, Lina," Gourry whispered. "Wouldn't it have just been easier to kill you in the beginning instead of going to all this trouble to trick us?"

"Yeah." Lina whispered back. "But I get the odd feeling that this guy has some sort of obsession with complicated and intricate plans."

"Oh, right. I see." Gourry nodded. "But then..." He was suddenly cut off by a huge explosion.

"Gourry! Quit talking! Phibrizzo's going to destroy us if we don't focus!" Lina yelled.

"I'll destroy you even if you do focus, Miss Lina." Phibrizzo said, grinning. "You haven't seen just what I'm capable of in this space yet."

"Capable of, huh? I guess I haven't. Show me then." Lina replied.

"With pleasure." Phibrizzo said, narrowing his eyes. He shot a barrage of powerful attacks toward Lina, which she just barely managed to dodge.

"Lina!" Gourry gasped, seeing her almost hit again and again.

"You're quite nimble." Phibrizzo commented, sounding slightly annoyed. "But pure power trumps accuracy any day, wouldn't you agree? I was saving this attack as a last resort, but I think I'll use it now. It'll finish things faster." He raised his hands and created an enormous ball of dark energy. It appeared to be difficult to control, even for Hellmaster Phibrizzo. He thrust it at Lina with all of his strength. The attack shot forward, and Lina was nearly hit by it. But she jumped out of the way at the last minute, watching the horizontal pillar of energy fly past her. It continued its path through the space, completely disintegrating everything in its path, until finally being stopped by the barrier.

"Lina!" Gourry cried, rushing beside her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." She began, getting up. Gourry helped her to her feet, and held her close, trying to comfort himself more than her. "But that attack... it was so powerful..."

"I know." Gourry replied. "I've never seen anything like it. Or, if I have, I don't remember it."

Lina didn't make any comments about Gourry's less-than-reliable memory at the moment. She was too busy watching Phibrizzo. "What is he doing?" She asked.

Phibrizzo was still standing atop the column, in the same position he had been standing in when he fired the attack, his eyes closed. "Uh... maybe he got tired and decided to take a break?" Gourry ventured.

"Unlikely." Lina replied. "Perhaps... maybe that attack he just fired at us was so powerful that he has to take time to recover from it."

"Recover from it?" Gourry asked.

"Yeah. Like, it takes so much energy to fire that one attack that he becomes suspended in motion until he regains his powers. There are some attacks that have that effect, but I've never seen one before. It requires very concentrated magic, and draws all its power from the user."

"Huh? I thought all magic drew power from the person who cast it." Gourry said.

"Well, yeah. But most really powerful spells draw magic from another source as well. Remember how the Dragon Slave wouldn't work on Shabranigdo because it drew power from him?" Lina reminded him.

"Oh, yeah." Gourry nodded. "I think..."

"Well, Phibrizzo is strong enough that he doesn't need to rely on spells that draw their magic from other beings. But if the attack is strong enough, it will drain his magical ability and cause him to be in a state of suspended animation, like he is now." Lina explained.

Gourry nodded. "Right... but how long is he going to stay like that?"

"I don't know." Lina replied. "It would depend on the power of that previous spell, and what kind of effects it has."

"I'm kind of confused... but basically what you're saying is that the attack he just shot at you is really, really powerful, right?" Gourry asked.

"Right." Lina nodded.

"Should we attack him while he's frozen like that? Would that work?" Gourry questioned.

"I don't know..." Lina replied. "I think it's a good idea, but..." She cast a levitation spell and flew up to where Phibrizzo was standing, still frozen in time. She examined the boy carefully, trying to see if there were any magical barriers that would keep her from attacking him in this state. Suddenly, an explosion shot her off the column back down to the floor.

"Lina!" Gourry yelled, running up to her.

"Well, well. It appears that my attack didn't work as well as I had intended. You're still alive. Too bad. I'm surprised that you didn't attack me while I was frozen in time like that, but I guess that's good for me. Now I have another chance to kill you." Phibrizzo said with a mischievous smile.

"Phibrizzo!" Lina spat. "What kind of attack was that anyway?"

"Oh, it was a special attack that wounds not only the person, but their life force as well." Phibrizzo explained. "Once hit, a person's life force will slowly disintegrate, taking their physical body with it. It takes so much power to fire that I end up getting frozen for a small amount of time afterwards, but it doesn't matter, since whoever I hit will be dead by the time I wake up anyway."

"How horrible!" Lina spat. She tried to move toward Phibrizzo, but found that some invisible magic had bound her to the spot where she was standing. "Wh-what is this?"

"Oh, just a precautionary measure to ensure that my attack won't miss this time." Phibrizzo replied, readying the attack he had used earlier. "Finally, after all this time, Lina Inverse, you'll meet your end!"

Lina screamed as the attack was shot directly at her.

* * *

"Geez! It took so long! There were so many monsters!" Pokota exclaimed. "At least we finally managed to defeat them all."

"Right." Filia nodded. "But now we need to help Miss Lina and Mister Gourry."

"And to do that, we'll need to find Phibrizzo." Xellos added.

"Didn't Lina and Gourry go this way?" Pokota asked, gesturing to the invisible barrier."

"Yes, they certainly did." Xellos nodded.

Pokota flew forward to where the barrier was, but instead of passing through it, he simply ran into it like a wall. "Ow..." He murmured, recoiling from the impact. "That hurt. What is this?"

"The barrier." Xellos said, placing his hand on the solid, reflective wall. "Phibrizzo must have solidified it so that no one can get in or out."

"But Miss Lina and Mister Gourry are in there!" Filia exclaimed. "What are we supposed to do?"

"The barrier will dissolve if Phibrizzo decides to destroy it, or if he is killed. One or the other." Xellos replied.

"So... we can only stand around and wait until Lina and Gourry destroy him?" Pokota gasped.

"We can only hope..." Xellos murmured.

* * *

Lina heard the piercing explosion of Phibrizzo's attack, but she had her eyes shut tightly and had no idea what was going on around her. Suddenly she was released from Phibrizzo's magical hold, and fell to the floor. She didn't feel any pain... had she really been hit?

"L...Lina...?Are you... okay?"

Lina's eyes flew open, and she gasped in horror. "G-Gourry..." She choked. The swordsman knelt down beside her with one arm around her shoulder protectively. The other arm was clutching at the wound on his chest- not so much of an injury as a gaping hole that was slowly growing larger as it engulfed Lina's protector. Gourry was disappearing.

"G-Gourry, you... no! No!" Lina stammered.

"You're okay, right? I couldn't... let him hurt you..." Gourry said.

"But what about you?" Lina demanded.

"I'm your protector... it's... my job..."

"Gourry!" Lina yelled. "How could you...?"

"Here. Take this." Gourry pressed an object into Lina's hand. She looked down at it incredulously.

"The... the replica Sword of Light?" She asked. "You're letting me borrow it?"

"It's yours, Lina." Gourry said. "You always said... that you... wanted it, right?"

"B-but..." Lina stammered. "You always said that it was your family heirloom! That you weren't going to give it to me! How could you just give it up now?"

"I won't... need it... anymore..." He replied, staring at her seriously.

"N-no... NO! If that's the case, then I don't want it! I refuse!" Lina yelled, throwing the sword in another direction frantically.

"Lina, please... you have to..." Gourry begged. "I'm your protector. I knew from day one that... eventually I probably would end up dying to protect you... but it would be for nothing if you didn't stay alive and fight back... please... promise me that you'll defeat Phibrizzo..."

"No! No! NO!" Lina yelled.

"Lina... promise..." Gourry grabbed her hand.

"... alright... I promise..." Lina choked, her eyes getting blurry. "I'll beat Phibrizzo. I won't let him win. I won't!"

"Thanks, Lina." Gourry replied, smiling again. "And I really don't mind the way things turned out. As long as you're alright, that's all that matters. I really do love you... Lina..."

Lina stared in horror as her companion disappeared, the last thing being his hand, which Lina clutched tightly until it dematerialised, leaving her grasping nothing but air. "No..." She breathed.

Lina stood up and approached the place where the replica Sword of Light lay. She stared at it for a long moment, and then kicked it violently. "You stupid, idiotic, jellyfish-brained moron!" She sobbed. "How could you do this to me? It's not fair! Not fair!"

Lina stood for another moment, her seething anger and frustration beginning to subside. "Gourry..." She murmured, picking up the sword. "I promised him... that I would defeat Phibrizzo..." The mention of the dark lord's name suddenly alerted her to the situation, as she heard a laughing voice behind her.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like we're pack to Plan A." Phibrizzo laughed.

Lina turned around swiftly. "Plan A? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my first objective, of course." Phibrizzo replied. "Remember? That swordsman was the one who was supposed to die in the first place. I eventually gave up on going to all the trouble to kill him when you were the one I wanted, but it seems that he got in the way. Still, he's gone now, and that's what matters."

"Y-you!" Lina hissed. "I can't believe you, you monster! Does it not even matter to you that I _love _him?"

"Of course it does." Phibrizzo replied with mock sympathy. "That's the whole reason behind killing him. It creates an emotional response from you, which I can easily use to my advantage. So..." Phibrizzo grinned. "...he's dead. Feel like firing the Giga Slave now?"

Lina narrowed her eyes. "Never." She murmured softly.

"What was that? I can't hear you?" Phibrizzo replied teasingly.

"I said never! Do you hear me, never! NEVER! I _HATE_ YOU!" Lina yelled violently. "_Light come forth_!"

The Sword of Light blazed, reflecting Lina's flaming emotions. She was not going to let Phibrizzo off so easily now.

"Huh? You're going to fight me with that puny thing? No way! This ought to be interesting!" Phibrizzo laughed.

Lina suddenly realised that she couldn't take on Phibrizzo with nothing but the Sword of Light. _If I do that, then he'll definitely kill me, and that can't happen. I promised Gourry that I'd live- and defeat Phibrizzo! If only there were some way to make it stronger, then... _Lina paused for a moment.

_That's it!_

"Are you going to attack or just stand there? If you choose the latter, then I'll have to attack you instead." Phibrizzo teased.

Lina clutched the sword firmly. "I sure hope this works..." She murmured to herself, and began an incantation.

"_Lord of dreams that terrify,_

_sword of cold and darkness,_

_free yourself from the heavens' bonds_"

"What is she doing now?" Phibrizzo wondered. "That spell isn't the Giga Slave, although it does get power from the Lord of Nightmares as well..."

"_become one with my power ,one with my body,  
and let us walk the path of destruction together!  
power that can even smash the souls of the gods-  
__**RAGNA BLADE!**__"_

The dark magic of the Ragna Blade did exactly what Lina had intended it to- it flared up around the Sword of Light, the light and dark energy mixing perfectly together. The result was a super-powerful Ragna-Blade-Sword-of-Light mix.

"The... the Ragna Blade and the Sword of Light... together...?" Phibrizzo gasped. He took a step back warily.

"That's right." Lina nodded. "You're the one who never shows any mercy. So now... I won't show any mercy towards you!" She lunged towards him, the sword blazing in her grip. _I will destroy him! _She told herself. _I will! I have to! That murderer! I hate him!_

Lina's strike was too fast for even Phibrizzo to go anywhere. She struck the monster with the immense power of the Ragna Blade and the Sword of Light combined. The hit caused an enormous explosion, and Lina was pushed back from the very force of it. She stood, panting and attempting to see through the dark smoke. She'd finally done it. There was no way that Phibrizzo could have survived an attack like that. It was the most powerful combination she had- next to the Giga Slave, which she was _not_ going to use.

Suddenly, the dark smoke was pierced by the sound of maniacal laughter. Lina froze. It couldn't be...

"I'll have to admit, that was impressive, combining the power of the Ragna Blade and the Sword of Light. But if you think that you really could have beaten me with it, you're just being overconfident." Phibrizzo waved the last of the smoke away with his hand. "_Now_ will you perform the Giga Slave for me? Or will I have to kill you first?"

_No... _Lina thought. _No.. this can't happen! How could he have survived that attack? It's not possible! Oh, Gourry! What am I going to do? _You're _the sword expert! Please... I need help... there's got to be some way to beat Phibrizzo without the Giga Slave! There must be!_

_What am I doing wrong? _

* * *

(A/N: Alright, Phibrizzo has officially gone too far for Lina- and she made a promise to destroy him! But now what is she going to do?)


	22. 22: Emotions Stronger than Hate

Sorry for the delay on the final chapter- I have been on vacation. (haha!) Anyway, the extra time allowed me to edit this chapter and make it even better, so I hope it will not dissapoint! I still do not own Slayers though, I just like to spend my free time writing stories. :3

* * *

**22- Emotions Stronger than Hate**

_What am I doing wrong? _

Lina clutched the hilt of the sword, staring at her opponent in fear. She'd just used the most powerful spell she could think of without relying on the Giga Slave. She was sure that it could defeat Phibrizzo, so why hadn't it worked?

"This is so unlike you, Lina. You always seem to put up more of a fight than this." Phibrizzo said. "It almost makes it less fun. I guess you're just not as confident without your swordsman friend to back you up. It doesn't matter, though. All my hard work and planning will finally pay off."

Lina wasn't listening to what Phibrizzo was saying- she was too busy trying to figure out what she was doing wrong. He could tell this, and decided to attempt to attack her by surprise. Grabbing the crystal sword he had used before, he lunged at Lina, trapping her against one of the large columns. "Wow, that was easy. You seem distracted, Miss Lina. No fun at all." He chided.

Lina tried to stammer a response, but she was too surprised, and the sword was pointed directly at her throat, preventing her from talking. She couldn't even move, or risk being hurt by the pointed edge of Phibrizzo's weapon. She simply stared at him, her crimson gaze filled with pure hatred.

"Cast the Giga Slave." He commanded.

"Not… going to happen…" She murmured.

Phibrizzo just laughed. "Oh, you're a tough one indeed. Let's see… I've attacked you with some of my most powerful spells, killed your little boyfriend, and threatened your life so many times that it's funny! And yet you still refuse to comply with my wishes. This is troubling…"

"If it's so troubling, then why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" Lina asked. The logical part of her brain was telling her not to provoke him- after all, she'd promised to stay alive- but she had a hunch that Phibrizzo wasn't as eager to end her life as he seemed. "What's wrong? Are you afraid to kill me? Or do you just not want to kill me because you_ like _me so much? You think I'm an amusing toy, and you've become attached to your little toy, am I right?"

"I can kill you anytime I want, Miss Lina." Phibrizzo growled. He shoved the sword closer to her throat threateningly.

"Oh, I know you _can_. I'm saying that you don't _want_ to." Lina replied curtly, carefully examining his reactions so that she'd know when to stop. "Back when you were pretending that Shichiro had a crush on me, I have a feeling that you enjoyed that more than you let on. Monsters aren't supposed to become attached to their toys, are they? You're just as bad as Xellos!"

"Y-you've got a lot of nerve saying things like that to someone as powerful as I am!" Phibrizzo stammered, backing away from her slightly. Lina examined his reaction. She could see anger, frustration, annoyance, and… was that embarrassment?

_Looks like I was more perceptive than I thought… _Lina thought to herself. "Sorry to disappoint you,_ Shichiro_, but the only person I'm in love with is Gourry."

"Well that's good, because you're about to join him!" Phibrizzo spat, driving his sword against Lina's throat so hard that she nearly choked. "Do you have any last words before I finally eliminate you once and for all?"

Lina had a few. "_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"_

"What is she doing?" Phibrizzo murmured. "She knows that spell is useless."

"…_let all the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess… DRAGON SLAVE!"_

The explosion was deafening, but Lina could feel Phibrizzo's sword blasted away from her throat, much to her relief. "I promised you I wouldn't die, jellyfish-brains."She murmured softly.

"What was that? That was pitiful!" Phibrizzo laughed. "What were you trying to do?"

"Just buy myself some time." Lina answered. She had known that the Dragon Slave wouldn't have much effect on Phibrizzo at all, but she just needed to get him off her throat for the moment so that she could think.

_There's got to be a way to defeat him without using the Giga Slave. Maybe I'm just going about this the wrong way…_Lina thought for a moment about Filia and Xellos. Filia was always attacking Xellos with hatred and Xellos always enjoyed it. Why? Because he was a monster, of course. No matter how much pain Filia inflicted, the negative emotions still gave him more power. Had Lina been doing the same thing?

_I was so focused on how much I hated him, I forgot that hate makes him more powerful. _She thought. _If that's the case, then I need to focus my energy this time on love, not hate._

Lina stepped forward. "Fine, then." She said.

"Oh? You're finally going to fire the Giga Slave?" Phibrizzo asked hopefully.

"Not quite." Lina replied. "RAGNA BLADE!" The dark blade surged around the Sword of Light again, and Lina took a step toward Phibrizzo.

"What? That same thing again? You know that it didn't work last time, so why bother with it now?" Phibrizzo asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"It didn't work last time only because I forgot the most important thing." Lina replied.

"The most… important thing?" Phibrizzo questioned.

"Right! I wanted to destroy you, and attacked you out of hatred." Lina said. "But that's not what was important. The whole reason that I want to destroy you is because I promised Gourry that I would. I promised him that I'd keep on living and destroy you, and I'm going to keep that promise because I love him. So, no matter what, I'll keep fighting to keep my promise!"

"Wh-what is this?" Phibrizzo stammered. "This doesn't make any sense. You already used that attack before and it didn't work. So what makes you think it'll work this time…?"

"I don't know. But I guess I'm stupid enough to try it." Lina responded, driving the sword forward to hit Phibrizzo. The monster was thrust backwards, staring in incredulity at the sorceress.

"I-impossible…" He stammered. "How did you manage to amplify the power of this attack so quickly…?"

"What? Is little Phibrizzo having a hard time standing up to the Justice of True Love?" Lina teased, feeling that somewhere in Seyruun, Amelia was smiling.

"N-no, of course not. I'm not going to be beaten… by some trivial spell…" Phibrizzo stammered. "Certainly not when I've come this close…"

"You failed last time, and you're going to fail this time again." Lina said. "Because you didn't listen to Amelia. Love conquers all. That's the reason you failed last time, and it's the reason that you're going to fail now!" Lina rushed forward, driving a powerful attack into the monster. To her surprise, he grabbed the sword with his hands.

"You think… that you can stop me…? You're wrong!" Phibrizzo yelled. "Think about it. You're just a human. You're up against a mazoku lord. There is no way possible that you can win. In such a case, why do you keep fighting using the same failing technique over and over? Just what are you trying to prove?"

Lina glared at him. "I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm trying to keep a promise." Lina replied.

"N-no… No! This can't be! It's not possible! This can't…happen…" Phibrizzo protested. "Impossible! I won't… be… defeated…" Lina struggled to remain in control of the powerful attack as it took its toll on her enemy. An enormous explosion of light and dark energy from the Ragna Blade and Sword of Light were the finishing blows to the dark lord, and Lina was pushed back in recoil from the impact. The explosion echoed across the mirrored space, causing Lina to cover her ears. Once the noise died down, all Lina could hear was her own laboured breathing.

The smoke from the explosion cleared, and Lina was left alone in the space, breathless. But she had done it. She'd finally defeated Phibrizzo.

Just like she'd promised.

But now what?

The darkness of the Ragna Blade had dissipated, and the bright blade of the Sword of Light vanished as well. Lina clutched the hilt of the sword close to her heart. "Idiot…" She murmured. "You were always such an idiot. I'm still mad at you, you know…"

"Lina!"

Lina was so surprised at hearing her name called, that it took her a second to identify the voice.

"Huh? Pokota? Filia? Xellos?" She murmured, but didn't respond to them. They would probably have questions, and she didn't feel like answering them at the moment.

"Miss Lina!" Filia called, seeing no reaction from the sorceress. "What's wrong? Is she okay? Didn't she defeat Phibrizzo…?"

"Where's Gourry?" Pokota asked. The group looked around as the realisation of that question dawned on them.

"Oh… Miss Lina…" Filia murmured.

"Miss Lina!" Xellos called, running up to her. Lina didn't turn around to face him. "Uh… Miss Lina? Are you… alright?" Xellos asked.

Lina didn't answer right away. She let out a muffled sob, and finally murmured "Stupid Phibrizzo… stupid Gourry… not fair…"

"Ah, Miss Lina, there's something you should understand-" Xellos began, putting his hand on her shoulder, but Lina slapped it away.

"Don't touch me!" She snapped, rushing as fast as she could away from him.

"B-but Miss Lina, if you'll just wait-" Xellos called.

Lina didn't want to talk to anyone. She had done what she said that she'd do- she kept her promise and destroyed Phibrizzo. But what was she supposed to do now? Lina hated the weak feeling that she got when she cried, but she couldn't help it. She sobbed frantically, unable to think about anything else. After a few moments, she felt someone's hand trying to brush the tears away from her face. Remembering Xellos, she slapped the hand away again. "I said don't touch me!" She snapped.

"Uh, okay Lina, but only if you stop crying."

_That voice…_

"G-Gourry…?" She murmured, looking up timidly.

"Hi." He replied, waving back at her. Lina threw her arms around him, sobbing even harder this time. "H-hey! I thought I asked you to _stop _crying! Come on, Lina!" Gourry protested.

"Gourry… you're alive!...but _how_?" Lina gasped.

"Well…" Gourry began. "I really have _absolutely no idea_. But honestly… who cares?" He laughed.

"You _idiot_!" Lina growled, slapping him over the head. "_I_ care, moron! _Me_!" She wasn't sure now whether she was laughing or crying, and decided that it might be a little of both.

"I was trying to tell you, Miss Lina." Xellos said. "Remember that this dimension balances creation and destruction? Well, when Phibrizzo was destroyed, it had to balance out the destruction by restoring the things that he destroyed. See the columns? They've regenerated as well."

Lina nodded, seeing that Xellos was right. "Geez, if I knew that I could bring you back by defeating Phibrizzo, that definitely would have helped motivate me!"

"But you did it anyway." Gourry pointed out.

"Of course I did. I promised you that I would, didn't I?" Lina grinned. "And speaking of which… here." She took the replica Sword of Light and handed it back to her companion.

"The… the Sword of Light?" He gasped. "B-but what are you doing? I _gave_ it to you, remember?"

"Yeah, but only because you thought that you were going to die. Now that you're alive, you know that you can use it, so…" Lina replied.

"But Lina, you've wanted it since you first met me. And now you're just going to give it back?"

"Gourry, I've decided that I'd much rather have _you_ than some sword, alright? So you take it- as long as you promise to stay with me." Lina said.

"You know I'll stay with you to protect you no matter what. But…"

"JUST TAKE THE SWORD, YOU IDIOT, BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!" Lina yelled, and Gourry quickly took it back, just in case Lina _did _change her mind.

"Th-thanks, Lina." He said.

"Of course." Lina replied. "I just want you to think about things before you do anything reckless like that. Not just for me, but Zara too. The poor kid's already lost one set of parents- I don't want to make him go through that again. And don't forget to consider my feelings once in a while too. You may have protected me from physical harm, but… you understand, right?"

"Uh, right." Gourry nodded. "Okay. So…"

"So…"

They both paused, caught up in one of those awkward silences that is practically begging to be broken, but no one knows quite how to break. Gourry reached for Lina's hand, and Lina grabbed his in return. Gourry figured that, if he was ever going to kiss Lina, now would be the time to do it. He bent down toward her, and Lina tried to stand up taller, as if she was attempting to meet him halfway. They were so close to one another that they weren't paying any attention to anything around them, which caused them to be completely surprised when Xellos spoke up.

"Uh, excuse me, but could the two of you possibly finish that somewhere else? Perhaps in a dimension that is not disintegrating as we speak?" The monster asked.

"Say what?" Lina gasped, pulling away, her face nearly as red as her hair.

"Well, Phibrizzo was the one who created this dimension, so, with him gone, it is beginning to collapse, and… if we don't get out of here quickly, it's going to collapse on us." Xellos explained.

"Could you please mention these things _earlier_? You're really ticking me off, Xellos!" Lina fumed.

"Forget that! Let's get out of here!" Pokota exclaimed.

"Right!" Filia replied.

* * *

The group found themselves at the entrance to the cave that Phibrizzo had used as a hideout. The night sky was filled with stars and they could see the lights of the city of Seyruun in the distance. "Seyruun really is a beautiful city." Pokota sighed. "I'd love to see Taforashia become that prosperous."

"I'm sure that one day it will be." Filia replied. "You just have to believe in the resilience and ability of the people."

"Yeah, you're right." Pokota smiled. "You know, that sounds like something Amelia would say."

"You're right, it does." Filia agreed.

"There are so many stars…" Lina gasped. "I don't think I could count them all…"

"Me neither." Gourry agreed. "Let's see, one, two, three, four-"

_WHACK!_

"Ouch! What was that for?" Gourry asked, rubbing his head painfully.

"For being an idiot." Lina replied. "Now… where were we when Xellos so _rudely _interrupted us?"

"Uh… I don't remember." Gourry responded, his famous clueless-look on his face.

Lina sighed and shook her head incredulously. "Here, moron. Allow me to refresh your memory." She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled so that he was at eye level with her- or at least close enough that she could easily kiss him.

Pokota smiled at his two friends, deciding that he wouldn't say anything that would upset Lina. One, he was genuinely happy for the two of them, and two, he no longer had a death wish.

Xellos was trying to distract himself- this kind of affection was enough to give him a major headache if he wasn't careful. Filia saw her chance as Xellos was distracted. She leaned over and gently kissed Xellos on the cheek, laughing hysterically as the monster violently recoiled.

"Y-you!" He groaned, muttering to himself, "Stupid dragon!"

Lina and Gourry had come out of their little world in time to laugh at Xellos' reaction as well. "Not funny!" The monster defended.

"If it's not funny, then why are we laughing?" Lina asked

"Serves you right, you filthy monster." Filia teased, still laughing.

"Ha-ha, yeah, funny I guess…" Xellos muttered. "Lord Beastmaster's not going to be pleased with this…"

"Come on, let's get back to Seyruun!" Lina called, rushing ahead. Suddenly, she stumbled and nearly fell over.

"Lina!" Gourry called, rushing to her side in time to catch her. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine…" She murmured, appearing to be half-asleep in Gourry's arms.

"It figures that she would be tired." Pokota said, perching on top of Gourry's head. "After all, it is late, and she did just single-handedly defeat Hellmaster Phibrizzo. How could you _not _be tired after that?"

"Of course. I should have realised it. I'm sorry, Lina." Gourry said, hugging Lina close to him.

"'s okay." She mumbled contentedly.

Gourry picked up the girl in his arms. "I'll carry her the rest of the way back." He said.

"How chivalrous of you." Filia said. She turned to Xellos with a smirk. "Why don't _you_ carry _me_ all the way back?"

"Uh, er, sorry Filia dear, but I have some… important things to attend to…" Xellos defended. "If you'll excuse me… I suppose that I will be seeing you nice people around some other time. Farewell for now!" He teleported away, thinking to himself _Since when is Filia the one teasing me? Maybe I'd better do what Lord Beastmaster says and stay away from her… _

…_but then again, maybe not…_

"Stupid Xellos. It's certainly good to see him being the one made fun of for a change." Filia said.

"No kidding." Pokota agreed.

"Shall we head back?" Gourry asked, an already fast-asleep Lina in his arms.

"Right!" They both agreed.

* * *

When Lina woke up, she was in a bed at the Seyruun royal palace. She looked around, surveying her surroundings. "Huh? Where am I?" She murmured.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed, throwing her arms around Lina. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright! When Mister Gourry came back carrying you unconscious like that, we were really worried!"

"Amelia really freaked out. You should have seen her face when we told her that you were just asleep." Pokota said, grinning.

"Mister Pokota!" Amelia groaned, and Zelgadis laughed. "Good to see that you're feeling better, Lina."

"Yeah, I'm really glad you're okay too." Gourry said. He was sitting on the side of Lina's bed, smiling at her. Lina smiled in return.

"Oh Gourry…" she laughed.

"That's right!" Amelia exclaimed. "Mister Gourry carried you all the way back here by himself, and refused to leave your side until you woke up!"

Lina looked up at her protector in awe. "Gourry, that's so… so…" She paused for a moment. "…creepy and stalkerish!" _WHACK!_

The entire group fell over in shock.

"Ouch…" He murmured, still smiling. "Well… at least I tried…"

Lina smiled. "Well… I guess I can give you some points for trying."

"Thanks." Gourry replied.

"Can you please tell us what happened?" Amelia asked. "I really want to know! Miss Filia and Mister Pokota don't really know because they weren't there with you, and Mister Gourry says that he doesn't quite remember what happened."

"And whatever happened to Xellos?" Zelgadis questioned. "Not that I'm complaining about his absence or anything."

"Oh yeah, Xellos!" Lina said, and burst out laughing. Gourry and Pokota couldn't help laughing as well, and even Filia had a hard time suppressing a few giggles. Zelgadis and Amelia exchanged a glance, feeling very left out of whatever had happened.

"I get the feeling that we missed something that I'd really have liked to see…" Zelgadis sighed.

"So do I." Amelia agreed.

"Well… anyway…" Lina said, her laughter beginning to subside, "I'll tell you guys exactly what happened. After we found Phibrizzo, he put us in a bit of a pinch, but I, Lina Inverse, beautiful sorceress genius extraordinaire, managed to pull of a magical fusion spell and destroy him once and for all, leaving me to revel in my immense victory!" She stood up on the bed holding up a victory sign.

"Revel in your victory?" Pokota asked. "If I remember correctly, you were crying your eyes out."

"Wh-what?" Lina gasped, trying to sound genuinely shocked. "Th-that's absurd! Lina Inverse doesn't cry!"

"You were crying? What for?" Amelia asked.

"I told you, I was not!" Lina growled.

"She was." Filia replied.

"_Et tu, _Filia?" Lina asked.

"Well, I don't blame you!" Filia defended. "After all, I didn't know that Gourry would be revived when Phibrizzo was destroyed either!"

"Revived? What happened to Mister Gourry?" Amelia asked.

"It's a long story…" Lina sighed, not sure she wanted to tell it. "Say…do you guys have any food around here? I'm starving."

"Of course!" Amelia laughed. "Come on, we'll get some dinner, and then we'll tell you our news!"

"Your news?" Lina wondered, but she was too concerned with food to ask more.

* * *

After bidding farewell to Filia, Pokota, Zelgadis, and Amelia, Lina and Gourry set out for Sairaag once more.

"I'm so excited for Amelia and Zel." Gourry said. "I mean, I always expected that they'd get engaged eventually, but it's still pretty exciting."

"I know!" Lina added. "And I know that their wedding won't be for another six months or so, but can you imagine what kinds of food they'll have at a ceremony like that? It'll be great!"

"Oh Lina…" Gourry laughed. "Some of your best friends are getting married and all you can think about is the food!"

"Don't tell me that you're not looking forward to the food as well!" Lina defended.

"I am!" Gourry said. "I'm just not so… forward about it."

"You baffle me." Lina sighed, looking at her companion with an affectionate glare. "So, where do you want to go next? I'm sure there must be plenty of places we haven't explored yet… bandits we haven't fought… foods we haven't tried…"

"…dangerous things that haven't attempted to kill us yet…" Gourry continued.

"Are you saying that you don't want to hang around me anymore because I'm danger-prone?" Lina accused.

"That's the reason that I _do_ want to hang around you- plus you're lots of fun, Lina. I'll follow you anywhere, even to the ends of the earth… that is, if the earth _has_ ends… if not, then… uh, we'll just go somewhere else!"

Lina burst out laughing. "Oh, you jellyfish-brained idiot, I love you!"

Gourry smiled warmly. "Right back at you! –oh, except the idiot part. You're no idiot!"

"Maybe I am…" Lina replied. "But, who cares? Hey, you wanna race? First one to get to the next town buys dinner!"

"You're on!" Gourry agreed, taking off after Lina, just glad that they were together.

~The End~

* * *

(A/N: The ending of another long fic! Thanks so much to everyone who has read this far! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :3)


End file.
